Unsolved Academy
by lyviel
Summary: It was hard fought, but the apocalypse had been stopped, they'd won. But life goes on and now they have to figure out how to actually live their lives. Dave and Klaus in particular really struggle until they find what could be the perfect job: hosts of a ghost hunting series. AKA:I've been watching too much Umbrella Academy and Buzzfeed Unsolved: Supernatural and this is the result
1. Chapter 1

Klaus wouldn't really consider himself a functional adult. He was used to living on the streets after all, barely scraping by, spending whatever cash he had on drugs, but things were different now. They'd saved the world, Klaus had somehow managed to clean up his act (well, mostly), and he had a boyfriend. He of course could have continued to crash at the Academy, but he found he actually wanted to try to provide for himself as well as for Dave. Beyond stealing of course. Besides, the idea of having a place with the love of his life was very enticing.

Unfortunately actually finding and holding down a job was proving to be very difficult. Famous or no, very few people were willing to hire a former junkie who'd never had a fulltime job and Dave was from the 60s with no actual record. It made adapting to normal life pretty tricky. They were both a mess of traumas along with their unique histories and sometimes just existing was hard enough.

Dave was the first to get a job, a part time position as a night janitor at a nearby gym. He had been so excited and Klaus was so incredibly proud of him. After holding the job down for a week Klaus thought it might be a nice way to celebrate if he stopped by for a visit. Technically Dave's boss hadn't said he couldn't let anyone in, he didn't seem to particularly care what he did so long as the place was clean by the end of his shift, and that alone left very little time for messing around unfortunately, but at least Klaus could keep him company.

That wasn't exactly the only reason he wanted to stop by, though. He'd gotten so used to sharing a bed even after only a few months of Dave being here and now having to face the night alone felt terrifying. Klaus never had liked sleeping, it was too easy for the ghosts to invade his dreams. This past week he hadn't been able to bring himself to even close his eyes no matter how tired, not when the ghosts were so loud and there was no one there to ground him, to remind him what was real.

And Klaus had been doing so good, he'd been sober for longer than he ever had, and he didn't want to risk losing that by letting the ghosts overwhelm him. He'd rather wait until Dave got home so they could nap together. Times like this he really missed Ben.

Sure, he was relieved that Ben was alive again, he deserved it and Klaus wouldn't have it any other way, but he had a life now, he needed to sleep, and while his room was just across the hall and he was almost always willing to drop whatever he was doing if asked, Klaus knew they couldn't hang out constantly anymore and he needed to get used to it. Besides, Klaus had always been terrible at asking for help.

So he had been occupying himself in other ways. Tonight he'd been digging through old belongings packed away in forgotten drawers and boxes and he'd found something he wanted to show Dave. Thankfully he didn't have to run around to too many windows before he found him, waving his arms to get his attention.

"What are you doing here?" Dave said as he let him in, careful to lock up again behind them.

"What, a guy can't stop by to keep his boyfriend company during his very long and boring shift?"

"Couldn't sleep?" Dave guessed with that knowing grin of his.

"Well, yes, but that's beside the point," Klaus said, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek by way of greeting. "You've had your first future-job for, like, a week now, that seemed like a good reason to come down and thank you for your service. I know we can't get up to much mischief, but the least I can do is keep you company."

"Okay. What the hell is that?"

"Video camera!" Klaus said, holding it up and hitting record as he trained it on Dave.

"Oh shit, they make them that small now?" Dave said, looking absolutely enchanted. With a laugh Klaus let him take it. "Far out!"

"They make them a lot smaller, actually. Even phones can record video now," Klaus said, smiling as he watched Dave look around the room through the camera, recording nothing in particular. "That one's ancient, I found it buried in my room. Not as ancient as you, apparently."

"Oh this is so rad," Dave said, voice hushed with awe.

"God you're adorable," Klaus said, standing back to watch him have his fun. When the ghost of an older gentleman with a towel wrapped around his waist walked through the wall in front of him in nearly gave Klaus a heart attack. "Christ," Klaus exclaimed, clutching at his chest. "Why do you guys always gotta do that? You're all too sneaky."

"You don't belong here, get out," the ghost said because of course he did.

"Hey, you push off, we were here first."

"Whoops, did we wake up a ghost?" Dave said. He'd gone back to mopping the floors, but he'd set the camera on a counter pointing at Klaus.

"Yes, but he's very rude so I wouldn't feel bad if I were you. What is it with ghosts, do we all just become super dramatic and cryptic when we die?"

"As if you aren't already dramatic," Dave said fondly.

"Oh you love it."

"I said get out!" the ghost said, voice raised. Apparently he didn't appreciate being ignored like this. "You are intruding in this place!"

"Hey! Dave works here, so we aren't intruding!"

"Sorry love, but I think technically you're trespassing," Dave said with a laugh.

"Fair point, fair point."

The ghost roared at him which, honestly, was kind of amusing. It took a swing at Klaus which he knew would go right through him but he still jumped back anyway, more out of reflex than anything.

"Woah, we've got a live one here," Klaus said with a laugh. "Try to use your words, dear."

"Hey now, are things getting physical?" Dave asked, stepping forward, and he actually looked a little concerned, broom held the way he used to hold his rifle, instincts kicking in at potential danger.

Klaus realized that Dave had never actually been around when a ghost had tried to physically hurt him before. Maybe it had happened in Vietnam, but there were plenty of other things to flinch away from there so even Dave wouldn't have known the true cause.

Either way it wasn't something Dave could protect him from, no matter how much he might have wanted to. Not that Klaus wanted Dave getting in the middle of this shit show. Besides, it was old hat for Klaus, he'd been confronted with much worse, honestly the attempt was more amusing than anything. He didn't want Dave to worry, as sweet as it was.

"My hero," Klaus said, hands clasped together, grinning at him.

"Shut up," Dave said, embarrassed but smiling now at least.

"Some definitions of the word physical I suppose, but it's fine," Klaus admitted. "As funny as it would be to see you try to hit a ghost, not right now."

"Just let me know, I'm always ready to throw down," Dave said, grinning as Klaus laughed.

Usually Klaus did his best to ignore the ghosts. It rarely did any good to encourage them and he was too tired right now, feeling frayed too at the edges to attempt any sort of banishment, something he'd never actually done successfully in the best of circumstances. But right now he didn't think there would be anything more fun than messing with a particularly grumpy spirit. It wasn't like it could actually hurt them. What was it going to do, join the never-ending throng already keeping Klaus up at night? Why not, might be nice to actually see a familiar face.

"Hey Dave," Klaus said after a moment. "What do you think you'd miss most if you were a ghost?"

"Oh, food for sure," Dave said. "The pancakes Grace made us for breakfast? To die for. Er, live for? Whatever."

"Mmm, yes," Klaus agreed. He sat beside the front desk, tearing up bits of paper and flicking them through the ghost. "I think I'd miss clothes. This poor sap is stuck for all eternity in a towel."

"At least when I was alive, I owned shirts that fit," the ghost snapped at Klaus.

"You're just jealous. I look amazing in a crop top. Now let's talk in great detail about all the wonderful food and clothes out there."

This went on much longer than it really should have with Klaus egging the ghost on, teasing relentlessly, but at least it made Dave's shift more fun. But then, everything was more fun with Klaus. They messed around most of the night, and they brought the camera with, using it until it ran out of batteries.

* * *

Dave and Klaus where talking and laughing on the floor of Klaus' old room, half leaning against each other. It was how they spent most of their days, just enjoying any sort of casual touch, completely content in each other's presence, never running out of things to talk about. A knock on the door pulled them out of their own little world and they looked up to see Ben standing there in the doorway, video camera in one hand.

"You really should keep better track of your things."

"Oh yeah, hey, I was wondering where that went," Dave said.

"You left it by the door. Where did you get it anyway?"

"Found it," Klaus said. "How did you know it was ours?"

"I watched the tape. Here I was expecting a ransom video or crime or something, not you idiots. It was actually pretty funny though."

"Hilarious," Klaus said, rolling his eyes as he grabbed the camera.

"Why would someone leave the entire camera as a ransom note and not just the tape?" Dave wondered.

"Who even owns a VCR anymore? But seriously, it's good. You should upload it," Ben suggested.

"I know you're saying words right now but I have no idea what any of that means," Dave said.

"You know how I showed you Wikipedia?" Ben replied. "There's other websites too, some host videos. Upload this and anyone can watch it. People have actually made a living sharing videos."

"Are you serious?" Dave said, looking absolutely enchanted in that adorable way he always did when learning something new about the future. He sat up causing Klaus to almost fall over which was less cute but Klaus decided he'd let it slide. "The future is wild. How does that even work?"

Explaining hits and monetization to Dave turned out to be the hardest part, but in the end they managed to get it uploaded. They were skeptical at first, unsure why anyone would want to watch them talk to something that didn't even appear to be there, but it was almost an immediate hit.

Maybe it was because of the Umbrella Academy, maybe it was because it was just dumb fun, but either way they realized that they might actually be able to make some extra cash doing this.


	2. Chapter 2

"The farther we go down this dirt road, the more I have to wonder if we're being sent out here to get murdered," Dave mused as he drove them out into the middle of nowhere, Ben constantly re-checking his map to make sure they really were going the right way.

"Ooh, that would be an exciting start to our show!" Klaus said, feet on the dashboard. "Not exactly the ghost hunting we imagined, but I'm still down."

"Of course you are," Dave said, smiling at him as he reached out to take his hand.

"Oh, there it is, take a right up here," Ben said, pointing to a driveway almost obscured by the underbrush.

It was an old run down single story house, windows boarded up and the lawn overgrown. Klaus didn't see any ghosts yet, but that didn't really mean anything, they could be lurking anywhere. Honestly though, even if they never saw any ghosts, he and Dave could still probably come up with enough content to make an amusing enough video. They were good at improvising.

"I know it doesn't look like much," Ben said as they all climbed out of the car and started gathering up their gear from the trunk. "But, surprisingly, most people don't actually want their reputation to be ruined for the sake of filming the first episode of an internet show. An old abandoned house was the best we could swing."

"Are you kidding? It's perfect!" Dave said, throwing his arms in the air for emphasis and Klaus couldn't help but smile at how excited he looked.

"Yeah, we can make our magic work anywhere," Klaus said, rubbing his hands together.

"I don't know what you guys had in mind, but usually these types of videos start by going over the history of the building. Unfortunately this place doesn't have much beyond a sad old man who lived out here alone," Ben began.

"Way ahead of you!" Dave said. "I spent most of last night reading everything I could find on it!"

"Nerd," Klaus said, kissing his cheek.

"Seriously, I don't mind you guys using my computer, but once classes start up again I'm gonna need it back, so you should really think about getting your own," Ben said.

Klaus waved a dismissive hand at Ben as he turned to Dave. "Got enough to spin a tale or two up, love?"

"Of course," Dave said.

"Great, let's get started then!"

"Maybe we should film an introduction out here before we lose the sunlight," Ben suggested.

"Good idea. Thanks for helping out, by the way," Klaus said to Ben. "Who better to have help hunt ghosts than a former ghost?"

"Who better to have help than someone who actually has a computer and knows how to use it," Ben corrected. "You're useless and Dave still has a long way to go."

"Hey, I'm not completely useless with computers," Klaus objected.

"Being famous on Vine doesn't count, especially now that it's gone."

"Rude."

"What's Vine?" Dave chimed in.

"I should see if I can find a compilation somewhere, you should really know what kind of man you're dating," Ben said.

"You have no idea who you're talking to," Klaus laughed. "He would have been right there doing them with me."

"Damn, you're right, what have I gotten myself into?"

"Sorry bro, looks like you're doomed to spend your second life watching me do stupidly dangerous stunts too."

"At least I can bring the aid kit now."

* * *

"Oh man, can you imagine having a bad trip in a place like this?" Dave said, slowly spinning the camera around the room to get plenty of footage of the decay and rot. The sun had almost set completely now so Klaus was setting up some lamps and flashlights.

"Don't need to," Klaus said, winking at him.

"No way, really?"

"Oh you bet. I thought this place looked familiar. Honestly, if there's an abandoned building in town, I've probably gotten high in it at some point."

"You are one of a kind, you know that?" Dave said.

"And thank god for that, I'm sure," Klaus said, striking a pose.

"And I'm the lucky one who gets you all to myself," Dave said, putting his arm around Klaus' shoulders and pulling him close to place a kiss on his cheek.

"Aw, babe!" Klaus wasn't sure he'd ever really get used to Dave's casual affection, but he certainly appreciated it.

"So what's next?" Ben called as he entered the house with some more lighting equipment and a bag of snacks.

"I thought we could start by going down that nice creepy hallway," Klaus said, gesturing.

"Have you seen anything yet?" Dave asked, handing the camera back to Ben.

"Nah, and I don't really want to try to summon them up and ruin the authenticity. Let's face it, if there's any ghosties here, they're probably waiting to jump out and spook me."

"To be fair," Dave said. "If I was a ghost, I'd probably want to fuck with people too."

"I mean, that's pretty much what I did," Ben said with a shrug, readying the camera. "Mostly just Klaus though."

"Love you too, bro," Klaus said as he turned to the hallway. He skipped up to the closest door, drumming his hands on it as he raised his voice. "Wakey, wakey! Any ghosts in there? It's time to get to haunting!"

"Yeah, we're just a couple of useless fools in deeper than we realize," Dave said, voice also raised. "We'd certainly deserve a good haunting right about now!"

"Come haunt us, what are you waiting for? time to come out and do your thing!"

"I don't want to tell you how to do your jobs," Dave said, "but there's a doorway here, it'd be a perfect place for you to jump out and scare me. I'd love that."

He jumped around the corner, looking excited and ready for anything, but nothing happened. He looked very disappointed.

"How about this," Klaus said, patting Dave sympathetically on the back. "How about, if you don't do a good enough job spooking us, we'll never leave. This'll be our home now."

"Oh, I like it," Dave said. "Here that ghosts? This place is ours now! Unless you want to get out here and defend it."

"Yeah, come on, fight me!" Klaus says, then to Dave adds, "God I hope a ghost jumps out and murders me. That'd be so cool."

"That is definitely something I'd love to see," Dave agreed. "Well, maybe not the murder part, I don't know how to avenge you if it's a ghost."

"I'm sure you'll figure it out."

* * *

It was thirsty work, running around yelling at nothing. The first hallway a bust, they took a moment to grab some water before heading to the nearest bedroom to give it a shot. Klaus doubted they'd find anything in here either, but he might as well have a little fun with it. He kicked the door completely open and charged right in. Movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention and threw him off. Reflexively he chucked his water bottle at whatever it was.

"Christ!" he exclaimed as he realized it was the ghost of an old woman, pale and gaunt. The water bottle flew through her and clattered harmlessly against the far wall.

"Ghost?" Dave guessed. Then he held out his own bottle of water. "Want to try again?"

The ghost didn't look all that surprised to see them and Klaus wondered if they were the first to come barging in here ghost hunting. Probably not. He also wondered if this ghost had been here the first time he'd visited. Hopefully she wouldn't remember him if so. She said something in a language he didn't know which was impressive because he knew quite a few. You pick a lot up when you have people shouting at you your whole life in various languages.

"Yes, yes, hello," he said, waving a hand. "I have no idea what you're saying."

"Is she not going to attack us?" Dave asked, looking crestfallen.

"Nah, she looks harmless enough. Hey how about this!" He grabbed Dave, pulling him forward so they were standing in the ghost. The ghost made some sort of exclamation but Klaus ignored her. "One thing people get wrong is the whole cold spot thing. When you're standing right on top of a ghost, it doesn't really feel like anything. Do you feel any different, Dave?"

"No, not really," he said. "Wait. Wait, hang on, it's starting to feel a little cold now. What's happening?"

"Oh. Oh actually, she found that very offensive." Klaus said, hand on Dave's arm as he urged him a couple steps back as the ghost started yelling at them, gesturing wildly. "Look, miss, I'm very sorry, we didn't-" He stopped because she was clearly not listening, and instead began shuffling Dave and Ben out of the room. "Oh, yeah, we should go. We should definitely go, hurry."

Dave practically giggled as the three of them fled and Klaus couldn't help but join in.

"Were you getting scolded or was she crying?" Dave asked once they were a few rooms away. "Because that'll decide how funny I think all that was."

"She was absolutely pissed" Klaus exclaimed. "I was afraid for my life!"

"At least we know how the whole cold spot thing works now," Dave said. "Just don't make them angry! Unless of course you could do with a nice cool breeze."

* * *

"Can you imagine doing this for a living?" Dave said excitedly as he dropped to the floor, leaning against the wall, water in hand as they took a break. Klaus sat down next to him and laid with his head in Dave's lap.

"You realize that if this takes off and we really can make a living this way, we'd essentially be being paid to mess around and have fun," Klaus said, grinning up at him. "No more job applications for me, and no more mopping for you!"

"So you're really okay with this?" Dave asked, suddenly looking concerned, his hands brushing through Klaus' hair, massaging his scalp.

"What, are you kidding? Of course I am! Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, I mean, you have spent most of your life trying to avoid seeing ghosts. Now we're seeking them out. How does that feel?"

"Kind of amazing actually," Klaus said with a laugh. "It's like I'm finally getting my revenge, keeping them up all night for a change."

"I'm glad," Dave said, adjusting to pull Klaus closer into his arms so he could capture his lips in a quick kiss. "Hey, I just wanna make sure you know, I'm proud of you."

"Aw, come on," Klaus said, trying to brush aside the compliment, giving Dave's shoulder a shove but it was half-hearted and he didn't pull away.

"No I mean it," Dave continued. "Look how far you've come, how long you've been sober. I know how hard this has been on you, I just want you to know that what you've done is no easy feat. No matter what the future holds, and no matter what you decide to do, I'm just so proud of you."

Most people seemed to think that all this was just Klaus doing the bare minimum, nothing to be proud of. It was discouraging, especially with how much Klaus struggled with it, but it was also weird for someone to actually acknowledge how hard he was trying. Weird, but nice, knowing he didn't have to pretend with Dave, that he wanted to celebrate even the seemingly inconsequential because it was important to Klaus.

"Okay, we were trying to have a moment and talking about messing with ghosts, it's not fair to turn it around on me like that. If I cry it's gonna smudge my eyeliner and I've gotta go back on camera like that, Dave!"

"Sorry, sorry," Dave said, but he was grinning and didn't look at all apologetic. Still, he pulled Klaus into another hug and Klaus couldn't complain about that.

Klaus readjusted so he could wrap his arms around Dave as well, kissing him. All of this was more than a little terrifying. Getting clean had been the hardest thing Klaus had ever done and it was still a daily struggle. But he didn't have to do it alone. Things had looked bleak his entire life, but maybe things were starting to look up. He had Dave again, and he was happy. Happier than he thought possible, feeling so incredibly fond and happy and grateful.

* * *

The last bit of their stay involved them sleeping in the house. Ben left, planning to return to pick them up in the morning. This time, Dave was the light sleeper, startling awake every time the house settled. Nestled against his chest Klaus actually slept okay for a change, spirits reaching out to him through dreams bothering him more than any of the ghosts hanging around there. Waking up in Dave's arms always made him forget the dreams, though.

"Morning," he said, sitting up to place a kiss on Dave's nose.

"How about we pretend it's not," Dave said, voice groggy.

"But I'm hungry," Klaus said, managing to disentangle his limbs from Dave.

"Oh, food does sound good," Dave admitted, following reluctantly as they crawled out of their blankets and moved to the kitchen.

It was cold this early in the morning in the old drafty house, but that hardly mattered. They draped a blanket over their shoulders and huddled together, sharing a chair as they sifted through the grocery bag of food they'd brought. Klaus couldn't help but smile as he watched Dave whisper a bracha before they began eating and somehow all of this felt different than any other meal they'd shared together; more intimate, more like home.

Not the building itself of course, the place didn't matter. Maybe it had something to do with being alone in an empty house together. Well, mostly empty if you didn't count the ghost. She at least was keeping to herself since their encounter the night before. But with the early morning sunlight streaming in through the windows dying everything golden, Klaus wondered if this was what it would be like, sharing a life with Dave.

Klaus' future had seemed like some sort of unimaginable, unattainable thing. He only ever lived in the moment because who knew what next week would bring? Nothing ever remained the same and each day saw him in a completely different place with completely different people. It was easier not to get attached to anything. Who even knew if there would even be a future?

But then he'd met Dave, and even with the war raging all around them, somehow it became the easiest thing in the world imagining spending the rest of his life with Dave. Even if everything else changed, he would always have this one constant, this one person he wanted to be happy, to make proud. Suddenly the idea of a future was exciting, even just figuring out the mundane felt like an adventure together. He thought he'd lost Dave once before, and he wouldn't risk their time together again.

"Not exactly Mom's cooking, but not a bad way to start the morning," he said, not really sure how to even put everything he was feeling into words. He reached out and took Dave's hand, squeezing gently.

"You're always a good way to start the morning," Dave said, kissing his cheek. "Nothing else really matters."

"Aw, sap. Even waking up in an old abandoned house?" Klaus elbowed him gently.

"I'd certainly prefer a building with heating, but yeah," Dave laughed. "Speaking of, do we have to start living here? Who won the house in the end, us or that ghost lady?"

"Oh she definitely won, hands down," Klaus said. "She was terrifying."


	3. Chapter 3

"I can't believe we're doing this," Dave said, staring up at the ceiling looking dazed. "I actually quit my job so I can record silly videos with my boyfriend full time. How is this even happening?"

"Welcome to the future, babe," Klaus said, huddling closer against his side on the small bed and placing a kiss on his cheek. "You won't regret it, I promise."

"Oh I know I won't regret it," Dave said, rolling over and wrapping him in his arms, chuckling as he squeezed him close. "I guess I've still got a little whiplash from how different things are now is all."

"You doing okay with all that?" Klaus asked, a little concerned. He remembered how hard it had been for himself, just adapting to life without war or the end of the world hanging over them, and here Dave was having to get used to a whole new century too.

"Hey, I'm okay," he said, raising a hand to brush across his cheek. "We're getting through, right?"

"Right. So!" Klaus said, pushing Dave onto his back and lying on top of him, leaning down to capture his lips. "Now that we're actually earning some cash, what kind of a home are you picturing?"

"Something small," Dave said.

"What, you don't like living in a mansion?"

"Nah, not really my style," Dave said. "Doesn't seem like yours either."

"Not even a little. So?"

"I wanna live somewhere so small we keep running into each other until we drive each other crazy, until we get sick of each other," Dave continued. "There's always been so much space between us. Sleeping in separate cots, even when you were just in the one right next to me, it felt like there was this chasm separating us. I want our next place to be so small that I forget what that was like because all there is is you."

"You'll be hating me by the end of the week," Klaus laughed.

"Quit talkin' all that static," Dave said, leaning up to kiss his nose. "That would never happen. We can get something bigger later if we start getting irritable, but I'm certainly not going to get tired of this."

"Oh, stop it, you," Klaus said.

Dave took Klaus' hand in his, interlocking their fingers before bringing it briefly to his lips. Klaus could feel the blush despite himself, burying his face in Dave's neck. He felt warm and happy and content and this all seemed so impossible. He never imagined he'd ever end up like this.

"I have an idea," Klaus said, making himself comfortable on Dave's chest as he felt arms wrap more securely around him. "We got a bit of cash from our previous videos, we should go out and do something fun to celebrate."

"Maybe we should get some better equipment too," Dave suggested.

"Ugh, that's less fun," Klaus said.

"We should also figure out where to film next. Oh!" Dave exclaimed. "If we get popular enough, do you think can we go to some of those famous haunted places like the Winchester Mansion? How cool would it be to get to meet a real live famous dead ghost?"

"Oh my god, you are such a nerd," Klaus said, laughing into the crook of Dave's neck.

"Oh wait, maybe we should be careful where we go, I don't want you getting mobbed by ticked off ghosts," Dave said.

"I'm sure it'll be fine so long as we avoid graveyards," Klaus said. Dave rubbed his arm sympathetically. Then Klaus said, a bit wistfully, "I really got lucky with you, didn't I?"

"Nah, I'm the lucky one," he said, kissing his temple. "I still couldn't believe it when I found out you were keen on me."

"What are you talking about? I'd been hitting on you for weeks," Klaus laughed.

"And I am very clueless and very gay," Dave laughed too.

"You're adorable. I love you."

"I love you too. And you're the adorable one"

* * *

"Is this okay?" Vanya asked, holding the camera steady, clearly nervous.

"You're doing wonderfully, dear," Klaus assured her.

"Okay, but if it turns out terrible you can't blame me. I've never done this before."

"Don't worry, you're doing great," Dave said, putting his arm around Vanya's shoulders. She smiled at him and Klaus couldn't help but do the same.

She'd been pretty reserved around Dave at first, but everyone always warmed up to him quickly, how could they not? He had this disarming charm, joking easily with everyone. Even Luther was relaxing around him by the end of the first day. And Dave had been so sweet around Vanya, even before he heard about all the end of the world stuff. Dave was just kind of like that, gravitating towards anyone who seemed like they could use a friend, always making sure they felt welcome, wanted.

Getting to see Dave with his family, all of these people he loved dearly, watching them all care about each other and actually getting along for a change; it meant the world to Klaus. He was so happy to be surrounded by all of these people again. Sure they all had their own lives, but it wasn't like before, they weren't trying to get away from the past, from their dad. Now they were just together and he was so proud of all of them, and so proud of the way Dave perfectly fit with them, charming all of them the way he'd charmed Klaus the first day they'd met. God, Klaus was so in love. And so happy to have Dave at his side again.

"Why did you ask me to help film anyway?" Vanya asked, pulling him from this thoughts.

"Because I knew you'd be great at it," Klaus said, before adding quickly as if hoping she wouldn't pick up on it, "And I knew you'd do it for cheap, but anyway!" He clapped his hands, rubbing them together excitedly. "Let's get this show going! We gotta film this intro."

"Wait, what did you say?" Vanya called after him.

"Don't worry," Ben assured her. "Thankfully for all of us, Klaus isn't in charge of the finances."

* * *

It was a hotel they were exploring tonight, long hallways with lots of rooms, seemingly stretching endlessly around them. They'd already gotten lost twice at this point. Klaus skipped down the hallway, Dave close on his heels, not really caring where they went. He turned into a room at random, skidding to a halt, Dave nearly running into him. There, in the middle of the room was a little girl, with pigtails and everything.

"What is it? What do you see?" Dave asked, craning to see around him, Ben and Vanya getting into position with their cameras.

"Were there any stories of a little girl here?"

"Not that I know of."

"Oh great I was afraid of that," Klaus said before addressing the girl. "Sorry, do you live here? Or did I summon you? I've been getting better at not just calling up every ghost in the area for a chat, but you never know."

"No, I died here," she said.

"Great!" That probably wasn't the best thing to say given the context, but Klaus was excited. "Do you want to play a game with us?"

Thankfully, she didn't seem upset and nodded instead. Klaus turned excitedly to Dave.

"Spirit box?" Dave asked.

"Spirit box!" Klaus echoed. "Time to play with one of our new toys!"

Dave fished the item out of their bag and after nodding to Klaus started explaining awkwardly to the open air.

"This is called a spirit box," he began. As he continued, Klaus rotated him slightly to the left so he was actually facing the girl. "It's going to skip through radio channels really quickly, I guess the idea is that you might be able to manipulate the audio to try to get a few words across so people like me can hear you too."

"Sound fun?" Klaus asked.

"I don't get it," the girl said.

"I don't either," Klaus said, leaning forward, hands braced on his knees, so he was closer to her height. "How about this, just concentrate really hard on the box when it starts making noise, then just yell whatever comes to mind as loud as you can, okay?"

She nodded, so Klaus nodded to Dave, who turned it on. They hadn't actually tested it before and it was so much louder than they were anticipating. Dave flinched and Klaus covered his years.

"Go ahead!" he yelled to be heard above the noise.

"What should I say?"

"Anything you like!"

"I don't think I like the spirit box," she said, voice raised.

"That all you got? Come on! Let us really hear it!"

"I don't like it!" the little girl yelled this time, but at least she seemed to be enjoying herself.

"Again! You can do it! Tell us how you really feel!"

"I hate the spirit box!"

As it flipped through channels, mostly playing static or bits of cut-off words, the word 'hate' came through pretty clearly.

"Yeah!" Klaus said, jumping in the air and pumping his fist before holding a hand out for her to high five, looking unphased when her hand just went straight through him. "You did it, good job!"

"But that didn't sound anything like me," the girl said, looking excited but bewildered.

"Semantics," Klaus waved a dismissive hand.

"'Hate?'" Dave said as he thankfully switched off the spirit box. "I hope it's not us she hates."

"Nah, spirit box," Klaus assured him.

"Oh good. Me too, it's terrible. Thanks for your help!" he grinned, waving in the direction he hoped the girl was in.

She waved back and simply disappeared. Dave continued to wave.

"Oh, you can put your hand down, she left."

"Right."

* * *

They'd spent a couple hours wandering up and down hallways, peeking into rooms. Klaus hadn't seen anything else, but that hardly mattered. They were talking and laughing, getting ready to wind down for the night, reaching the phase where he and Dave would settle in to try to sleep here, letting Vanya and Ben head home, their jobs done. But back on the first floor, as they rounded a corner, Klaus saw it; the ghost of a man, half his face just gone as he scrabbled at the wound and the ground as if trying to put himself together, broken sobs escaping him.

Normally Klaus was used to the dead, but he hadn't been expecting it, maybe that was why it hit him so hard. This one just came out of nowhere, bloody and screaming, too much fear and death that it overwhelmed him. Maybe it was just the fact that it was a newly made ghost, too fresh to realize it's life was over, leaving it with just the agony, or maybe it was the way the body had been maimed, the numerous gunshot wounds dragging Klaus back to a different time and place where he'd seen too much of this sort of thing.

Klaus scrambled back, trying to cover his eyes and his ears at the same time but knowing it wouldn't do any good. He thought he could hear the others calling out to him, and then everything was drowned out, he was deafened by memories of gunfire and explosions, more screams of the dead and the dying than he could count. He couldn't breathe, choking on ash and gunpowder and spoke.

"Klaus, you're okay, you're going to be fine."

Dave. Dave was here. He wasn't dead, he was here and he was talking to him. He focused on him, only on him, and what he could feel; the wooden floor beneath his hands, digging into his knees. He breathed with Dave as he coached him through it, until he felt more like himself. Until he could feel the shaking in his arms and know it was himself and not the ground shaking from explosions.

"Get me out of here," he said, reaching up blindly. He let himself be pulled to his feet and lead away. And then Dave was picking him up and he just clung to him, burying his face in his neck and wishing it would all go away, wishing for once it could be quiet.

* * *

Klaus had been doing okay lately. He'd mostly gotten used to seeing ghosts everywhere, to blocking out their relentless screams. He could even push them away sometimes. But seeing one like that, twisted and dead and murdered; it had brought back too much, memories of the dead he'd seen in the war, all that agony and suffering, it brought back the fear in full swing, the terror clinging to him, making it hard to breathe, like he was trapped in the graveyard again, his father's uncaring eyes staring at him, leaving him there yet again

Fuck, he wanted to get high.

Klaus was sitting on the floor leaning against the wall, tapping his fingers and just generally filled with a terrible restless energy. It'd been so long since the last time he'd done drugs, but moments like these, when the cravings were at an all time high and he desperately wanted to go on some sort of bender, happened more often than he'd like. It was frustrating, it made him feel like he wasn't making any progress and he longed to give in. But he couldn't, he didn't want to lose what he'd built. He didn't want to disappoint Dave. And he was terrified that there would be no coming back from it if he gave in.

Thankfully everyone else had left, giving him some privacy. Only Dave remained, standing nearby. Somehow Dave always seemed to know when he was spiralling and now seemed to be no different as he suddenly knelt in front of him, placing his hand over Klaus', stilling his tapping fingers.

"I'm proud of you," Dave said and those words were enough to bring tears to Klaus' eyes even as he scoffed. "You've been doing such a good job, this must be so hard, you're the most amazing man I know and I just want you to know that I'm so proud of you."

Klaus couldn't help himself, he frantically surged forward, needing more contact. He let the tears fall, crawling into Dave's lap, wrapping his arms and legs around him and just clinging to him. Dave wrapped his own arms around Klaus, holding him tightly, rubbing one hand soothingly across his back.

"I'm here," Dave said. "You don't have to do this alone."

It's like Dave could read his mind. He saw every tiny, shaky step Klaus made and made sure to celebrate it with him. And he took every fall, every disappointment in stride, just comforting Klaus and reassuring him. And whenever he got like this, falling apart and so so tired, he'd be there to support him.

It couldn't have been easy. Dave had lost everything, dragged to a strange world years in the future where the only thing he knew was Klaus, but he never seemed to hold it against him. Instead he treated it as a gift, a fresh start, but Klaus couldn't stop himself from feeling guilty. Five bringing him here may have saved his life, but did it really count when it took him away from his old life, his own friends and family, leaving him with just this? A broken man who couldn't do anything right?

There were days when Klaus was terrified he'd eventually wise up and leave. Strange foreign world or no, being stuck with him couldn't have been a picnic, but he never even seemed to regret it.

"What did I ever do to deserve you?" Klaus asked, voice breaking because how could he have found someone like this?

"Hey, I think that's my line," Dave said with a quiet laugh. "You came crashing into my life, whisking me away like some angel. I didn't stand a chance."

"Ah yes, the classic tale of the junkie angel," Klaus said with a little laugh of his own, as strained as it was. "I love you. And I'm sorry."

"None of that," Dave said, pulling away so he could look up into Klaus' face, run his fingers across his cheek to wipe away the tears. "You're not allowed to apologize for saving my life."

"Technically that was Five," Klaus said.

"Five wasn't the one who went through hell with me in that war," Dave said and the admiration and adoration in his eyes wrenched at his heart and the tears began to flow again. "I love you."

Klaus kisses him, wishing he could convey everything he felt, his love, how grateful he was, and everything else he didn't even have words for. He still could hardly believe someone cared for him even after all the shit he put Dave through. He was used to being alone, it was easier not to disappoint people that way, but Dave was willing to risk it. And for once Klaus understood what it was to be loved. He wasn't fixed, that was a long hard road he still had to wrestle with, but maybe, just maybe, he could get through this.

"You shouldn't be so understanding," Klaus said. "You shouldn't have to be."

"I don't have to be anything," Dave agreed. "Want to be."

"I'm just gonna fuck up again, relapse and ruin everything."

"And I'll be there to help you through it, you won't ruin everything. You don't seem to get how happy you make me so I'll just have to keep reminding you."

"I don't deserve you."

"Don't say that. You deserve everything," Dave said and he just held him tighter.


	4. Chapter 4

Klaus was _fine_, really he was. Sure, he'd had a bit of a breakdown, but who doesn't now and then? He was calm enough now though and there was really no reason to fuss, but of course it had taken some doing to convince everyone. It actually probably would have taken even longer, but the truth was they all knew they couldn't just keep sitting here, not when a murder might have happened here recently and they could be in danger.

What if the killer was still around? And even if not, they should at least find the body and call the cops. There wasn't much Klaus could do for the ghosts that haunted him, but maybe this might help, let the poor spirit rest. Not that Klaus would be doing any of the work himself.

Normally he would have insisted on coming with, he hated being left out let alone sending Dave out there without him when there could be a dangerous killer on the loose. Unfortunately, Klaus didn't trust his shaky legs yet. He still felt exhausted and drained, sick to his stomach like he always did after a panic attack. He'd only slow everyone down and he didn't want to end up being a liability if they did run into trouble.

At least Ben and Dave had gone together, they could watch each other's backs. One guy with a gun wouldn't stand a chance against Ben. Honestly Dave had looked just as reluctant as Klaus felt over the whole situation, until they'd pointed out that Vanya would be remaining behind with him. As unpredictable as her abilities could be, there was no denying how powerful she was.

Klaus hadn't moved since they left, sitting against the wall with his knees drawn up to his chest, just trying to breathe. Vanya was sitting close beside him, holding his hand tightly and it was more comforting than he'd like to admin. She looked incredibly out of place, like she didn't know what to do or say, but just holding his hand was helping more than she could know.

But Klaus hated having anyone fuss over him. He wasn't worth worrying about, he'd be fine, he always was. The longer he sat there, the more he was filled with a sort of manic energy and he needed to move, to get away and to get Vanya to stop looking at him like that, like he might shatter if she wasn't careful.

"Hey, let's get out of here," Klaus said suddenly, clambering awkwardly to his feet.

"Shouldn't we wait for Ben and Dave?"

"Vanya, we could continue sitting here, bored out of our minds, or we could go right across the street and eat ice cream until we're sick. It's really no competition, so come on," he said, drawing out the last word.

"Is the ghost still around?" Vanya asked, obviously still concerned. She always had been much too perceptive.

"Yeah, yeah," Klaus waved a hand dismissively. "It's just wandering the halls now, probably looking for me. But I don't want to talk about that, I want to talk about ice cream!"

"Oh, okay, sure," Vanya said, letting Klaus drag her to her feet.

"Really? Wow, and here I thought it'd be harder to convince you," Klaus joked.

"Maybe I could use some ice cream too," Vanya smiled. "Let's just leave a note for Ben and Dave so they know where we've gone."

"Good idea."

As soon as she was done, Klaus signed 'XOXO' at the end for Dave.

—

It wasn't that Klaus disliked silence. In fact, he valued it quite a bit, it was such a rare thing to get a good peaceful silence going what with all the screaming ghosts. And a comfortable silence between two people could be nice as well, but what he hated was seeing anyone upset, whether it was concern for him, like Vanya was showing now, or just sadness or anger in general. Lightening the mood was Klaus' specialty, so he talked about anything that came to mind. The first thing that came to mind just happened to be about his time in Vietnam.

"So there we were, bored out of our minds in the middle of the jungle," Klaus said, somehow managing to gesture broadly and eat his ice cream at the same time. Occasionally other customers would glance at them, but no one had interrupted yet so he obviously wasn't being too annoying at the very least. "There was this one really serious guy, you know? A real soldiery type, and I thought he might need a laugh so- well, I'd gotten my hands on some hot sauce while on leave you see, and I decided to spike his coffee with it."

"Oh no," Vanya said, trying to hide a grin behind her cup of coffee, trying and failing utterly to look disapproving.

"He was so surprised he spit it out all over the guy sitting next to him and straight up chucked the entire mug clear across the mess tent. I thought Dave was gonna pass out he was laughing so hard!"

"That poor guy," Vanya said, giving in and laughing now.

"Oh don't worry, I gave the guy the bottle and told him to go wild, keep the party going and all that as sort of an apology. But apparently he thought Dave had been the one to do it given how hard he'd been laughing, so he went after him first."

"Did you warn Dave?"

"I had no idea at the time, honest," Klaus said, giving his most convincing innocent expression.

"Really," Vanya said skeptically.

"I figured he'd go after me first, actually. Handing him the bottle was more than a little incriminating after all. But no, next thing I knew he somehow managed to slip Dave some when no one was looking. And Dave, well, to this day I still have no idea how he did it, but somehow he managed to keep a completely straight face. He drank the entire thing down, acting like nothing was wrong!"

"You're not serious!"

"I swear, it was the funniest thing I'd ever seen," Klaus said. "He paid for it later though, he was a complete wreck and couldn't keep anything down, but he seemed to think it was worth it. Pretty sure the guy was terrified of Dave after that. The camp had fun with it though, it sorta became a game, everyone trying to sneak hot sauce or salt into each other's coffee. I still can't drink a cup without fearing for my life."

Those hadn't exactly been happy times, but he'd met Dave so that made it special. There was enough good mixed in with the bad that he'd been willing to stay, after all. Hopefully it didn't make him a terrible person for being able to remember bits of it fondly, even if they'd been in literal hell with people dying all around them. At least now they could make new memories together in a place that didn't give them nightmares.

Klaus was half way through the large bowl of ice cream when he realized Vanya was watching him with a thoughtful expression.

"What, you want some?" he offered around a particularly large mouthful.

"Oh, no, that's okay," she said, looking down and smiling. "It's just- you seem happier."

"Well, yeah, ice cream is much better than mutilated ghosts," Klaus said, waving his spoon for emphasis.

"No, I mean, just in general." She smiled at him. "I'm happy for you."

"Come on now, don't get all sappy on me, I just finally have a job is all."

"And a boyfriend," Vanya added with a small laugh.

"A beautiful, beautiful boyfriend," Klaus added with a dreamy smile. "What about you? How's the whole first chair thing going? Can't wait for your next concert."

"It's going really well," she said and Klaus couldn't be more proud of her. "It's nice, feeling like I'm finally getting somewhere with my music. I'm picking things up faster than I ever have before too, the concert's still a month away and I feel like I've already got it all down."

"Well, yeah, you are the best violinist in the world," Klaus said.

"Oh, I don't know about that," Vanya said, looking pleased if a little embarrassed. "I just hope the previous chair doesn't hate me."

"That's the lady we saved, right? Oh what was her name, Helen?"

"Yes, that's her. She was the one to encourage me in the first place actually. Well, kind of. It was a little harsher than I would have liked but maybe I needed it."

"Hey, no, are people picking on my little sister? Want me to talk to her?" he said, waving a fist in an attempt to look threatening but it probably was more comical than anything.

"We're the same age, Klaus," she said with a little smile, shaking her head.

"Nope, I'm ten months older now, remember? But seriously, are you okay?"

"Yeah, it's fine," she said, smiling at him. "She's actually been a lot nicer to me lately so hopefully we can talk about it. We're meeting for coffee next week."

"Good for you."

"She's really amazing and it would be nice to have someone to talk about music with," she admitted.

"I'm proud of you, but the offer to threaten her is still there," Klaus said with a wink making Vanya chuckle.

"Bubblegum ice cream?" Dave said, suddenly popping up behind Klaus and taking the bowl from him. "Oh hell yeah, let me in on that."

"You're lucky I love you so much," Klaus said, pretending to glare as he snatched it back, but not until Dave had already taken a bite.

"So what did you guys find?" Vanya asked, all too eager to change the subject away from herself.

"There is a body," Ben said, voice low so no one else would hear. "I'm gonna go call Diego."

"Oh no," Vanya whispered, looking devastated as he headed for a nearby payphone.

"At least we didn't run into whoever did it," Dave said. "Must've cleared out pretty quickly. You good?"

"Obviously," Klaus said, letting Dave throw his arm around his shoulders, smiling at the kiss placed on the top of his head.

"It was bad," Dave said. "I'm so sorry you saw that."

"What? You did too," Klaus pointed out.

"Nah, I mostly tried not to be sick in the bushes."

"Quit being modest, you always had a strong stomach."

"You realize you're both eating ice cream after all that," Vanya pointed out.

"But Vanya, no one can turn down ice cream," Dave said before snatching the spoon from Klaus' grip and stealing another spoonful.

"I swear to Christ, Dave," Klaus snapped, more for show than anything, as he grabbed the spoon back.

"I can buy you some too if you want," Vanya offered, doing her best not to laugh.

"Thank you, but it's more fun to steal his," Dave said.

Klaus had a spoonful half way to his mouth when Dave grabbed his wristed, pulling to the side so he could take the bite instead.

"Oh now it's on," Klaus said, jumping off his stool and practically tackling Dave and trying to put him into a headlock, both of them laughing.

"Ooh, ice cream," Ben said as he returned, helping himself as he took Klaus' seat.

"Not you too," Klaus wailed. "My own brother!"

—

It didn't take Diego long to arrive, Eudora and a few others with him. It was amusing, seeing him in his new police uniform instead of his usual black leather. Klaus would likely always give him shit for it, but really he was proud of him for going back to the academy.

"You guys okay?" Diego asked as he scanned the area, as if expecting the killer to jump out at any moment.

"All good," Klaus assured him, waving a dismissive hand.

"All good?" Diego repeated, looking furious. "You guys could have gotten yourselves killed, what were you thinking wandering around a place like this at night?"

"Hey, you have to admit," Dave said, gesturing to the building. "It was kinda too perfect to pass up."

"Yeah, we were having fun until we were rudely interrupted," Klaus said, glaring at the building.

"We're fine," Ben said, throwing his arm around Klaus' shoulders. "We'll let you know the next time we're filming if you really want to babysit us."

"Don't think I won't do it," Diego said, pointing threateningly

"Did you see anything?" Eudora asked as she came up to stand beside Diego.

"No, Klaus saw the ghost which got us looking, but that's it," Ben explained.

"And the body?"

"Around back, can't miss it."

"Great, thanks. Why don't you go secure the crime scene, rookie?" Eudora asked, dropping a hand on Diego's shoulder.

He gave her a look but Klaus caught his smile as he turned and led the other officers away.

"It's good to see you, Detective Patch," Vanya said once they were gone.

"You too," Eudora said.

"So how are you all holding up? I know how upsetting it can be, finding a body," Patch said sympathetically.

"Do you know who you're talking to?" Klaus said with a laugh. "We've all seen worse."

"I don't know that it ever gets easier," she replied. "But I'm glad you all are fine. And I'm glad to see no one got themselves kidnapped or tied to a chair."

"That was one time," Klaus groaned, throwing his head back.

"I'm kidding," she said, patting his arm. "Take care of yourselves. I better get to work. You all should head home."

—

It came in waves.

Klaus would be fine, his usual self, and then the ghosts would get the better of him, or the cravings would kick in and drown out everything else. Either way, it left him shaking and desperate, spiraling down into hopelessness. What was the point of staying sober? Why should he even bother when all there was, all there might ever be, was the darkness and the screaming and all that _pain_?

He knew that wasn't really true, but in moments like these it was a little hard to see anything else. At least he could usually tell when things were getting bad again and he could warn someone. It had been embarrassing at first, feeling like some kind of personal failure despite the reassurances, but he was getting better at being honest about it.

After everything that had happened, this was definitely going to be one of those nights. Ben had already made sure there was nothing he could get his hands on in the house and Dave was staying with him, making sure he didn't do anything stupid. Well, more stupid than usual at least.

"Maybe I should go for a walk?" Klaus said, pacing as much as he could in his small room, a hand gripped in his hair trying to ground himself. "Yeah, I think I should go for a walk."

"Hold up there, buddy," Dave said, looping an arm around his waist as he tried to walk past where he was sitting on the bed.

"Come on," Klaus said, drawing out the word, trying to squirm away.

Dave fell back onto the bed, dragging Klaus with him. "Why don't we get some sleep? I'm tired," he said with a whine in his voice.

"Then go to sleep," Klaus said, still trying to squirm away.

"Not without you."

Klaus stopped trying to get away, letting Dave hold him. Dave snuggling against his chest like he really was going to sleep. Maybe Klaus should as well, maybe it would help. Maybe things would be better when he woke up. He didn't exactly want to be alone with his thoughts right now though.

"Do you actually want to go for a walk to burn off some energy?" Dave asked.

Klaus sighed heavily and was quiet for a moment before he admitted in a small, guilty voice, "No, I guess not."

They both knew how easy it would be to "accidentally" stumble across someone selling drugs this late at night and as much as he wished it wasn't true, Klaus would be lying if he said the thought hadn't crossed his mind. It was a weird feeling, both wanting and not wanting something so desperately. He hated it. He hated how weak it made him feel. At least Dave wouldn't hold it against him. He never did. Klaus wasn't sure he'd ever understand why but he was grateful.

"How about we watch a movie instead?" Dave suggested. "And you can teach me how to knit."

"I'm bad at it."

"That's okay, so am I. Probably. I've never actually done it before. I could be a prodigy for all I know."

"You wish," Klaus said

So the two of them spent the night curled up in bed together, only half watching the movie playing on Ben's borrowed laptop as they attempted to knit. Trying to teach Dave was proving to be a nearly impossible task. Mostly he just got tangled in his ball of yarn somehow, but at least they were able to find something to laugh about. And Klaus was able to focus on something other than his spiraling thoughts.


	5. Chapter 5

"Are you sure about this?" Dave asked, keeping pace with Klaus as he marched down the street, showing no sign of slowing.

"Don't try to change my mind," Klaus said, not even glancing over at him. "Because I'm already way too close to turning around and going to that hole in the wall Thai place we passed a few blocks back instead."

"Ooh, I could go for some lunch," Dave said.

"After. Diego hasn't been getting anywhere with this whole murder case thing and I feel bad just sitting around at home knowing I've got direct access to the ghost witness."

"It's only been a couple days, I'm sure they'll get somewhere eventually," Dave said.

"Yeah, probably. But in the meantime there's a killer wandering around out there who might hurt someone else. It's fine, I just have to talk to a screaming murder victim that barely has a face, no big deal."

"Hey, hey, babe, just stop for a second," Dave said, taking his hand and giving it a gentle tug. Klaus reluctantly obliged, turning to face him. "This is a good thing you're doing and I'm with you on it, I'm just worried about you. You sure you're okay?"

"I know, I know," Klaus looked away guiltily. "I promise I'll be fine, it just caught me off guard last time is all. This time I'll be okay."

He hated how he'd made Dave worry after their last run in with the ghost. Dave had spent the entire time at his side, just being there for him and Klaus hated that he still needed that kind of help. It felt like he'd lost all progress, like he'd never get any better. They both knew he had a habit of pushing himself when he was frustrated like this, and to be honest he kind of was, but that didn't change the fact that this still needed to be done.

"I'd tell you not to push yourself too far," Dave said, giving his hand a brief squeeze, "but I know you're not gonna listen to me anyway so let's go kick some ghost butt!" He pumped his fist in the air making Klaus laugh.

"Jeez, Dave, we're not gonna beat the ghost up," Klaus said, grinning at him.

"Why not? It sounds fun," Dave joked as they continued walking down the street, at a more leisurely pace now, Klaus feeling infinitely more confident with Dave's hand still in his own.

"Okay, maybe we can fight a little. Just until it realizes it's dead and agrees to actually be helpful instead of just wailing. I already have a headache and that will not help."

"Would it help if I screamed back? Maybe it'll be so confused it'll stop."

* * *

"All right, all right," Klaus announced as he barged through the doors into the police station. "I'll do it."

"Klaus?" Diego said, standing up from his desk. Several other police officers glanced over, but they were more or less used to Diego and his weird family by this point. "What are you doing here?"

"I've decided, graciously, to talk to the ghost of the victim for you so you can find that murderer," Klaus said magnanimously. "Please don't thank me, I'm only doing my duty."

"Isn't he amazing?" Dave swooned, playing along, although there was a bit too much affection there for it to all be an act. "So selfless and brave!"

"Now now, Dave, I'm only doing my duty as a citizen," Klaus said, patting his cheek.

"You'd make an amazing detective," Dave added.

"Well, obviously, but we don't want to put the entire police force out of a job, now, do we?"

"Ah, wise as well as brave," Dave sighed.

Diego made a face, clearly displeased by their dramatic display, but he hadn't objected yet.

"So, dear brother of mine," Klaus said as he came to a stop in front of Diego. "Shall we get this show on the road?"

"You realize we can't actually use the statement of a ghost to arrest anyone, right?" Patch said as she joined them, gesturing for those less subtle to stop staring and get back to work.

"No, but it might give us a better idea where to start," Diego said with a grimace. "Come on, let's go get this over with before I realize how stupid this is."

"Good luck," Patch said.

"Wait, you're not coming?" Diego said. "You're gonna leave me alone with them?"

"Hey, they're your family," Patch shrugged but she was grinning.

* * *

Klaus didn't exactly want to go back to the scene of the crime, but he felt a sort of responsibility to help, both to the ghost and to Diego. With Dave there, holding his hand, it made it easier to face the gruesome sight. He was used to gore and violence so this wasn't exactly something he'd never seen before, but that didn't make it any easier.

It was still terrifying and upsetting and he knew he'd have nightmares about this. He just tried not to look directly at the ghost's mutilated face. Once he was able to calm the ghost enough for him to realize he was dead, Klaus did his best to relay whatever information the ghost could provide, including any answers to questions Diego had. Honestly, Klaus didn't know if any of this would actually help the ghost rest, or get him to at least not follow him around for the rest of his life, but at least it might get one more killer off the streets.

As they talked, the sound of the blood dripping onto the tile floor felt like it was slowly drilling into his skull, particularly unfair considering there wasn't actually any blood. At least no blood any living person could see. But he was using his abilities and they always left him feeling ill and light-headed with a vicious headache so he supposed he shouldn't be surprised. Then again he was thankful irritability and a headache was the worst he had.

By the time they'd gotten what they could, a vague description and the location where the actual murder had taken place since the body had apparently been dropped here, as well as some petty and cliche motive, Klaus had a full-blown migraine, leaving him nauseous and wincing at the sunlight as they stepped outside.

"Thanks bro," Diego said, punching him gently on the arm. "We'll get the guy now."

"You better," Klaus joked, unable to muster up much more of a comeback. He leaned heavily into Dave who wrapped an arm around his waist to help support him. He breathed deeply. The fresh air was helping, but the sunlight was not.

"You guys want a ride?" Diego offered.

"Nah, we'll be fine, I think I could use the walk," Klaus said.

They stayed where they were, waving as Diego drove away. Klaus bunched a hand in Dave's shirt to keep himself upright, feeling sick to his stomach and shaky. He felt a little hysterical with how close to a panic attack he knew he was and he felt so so drained. He hated using his abilities. And he hated ghosts.

"Why'd you lie?" Dave asked once Diego's car disappeared around the corner. "There's no way you're walking anywhere for a bit at the very least."

"Yeah, I didn't want him to see this," Klaus said. He didn't exactly want Dave to see it either, but he'd already seen Klaus at his worst, this wasn't anything new.

He turned around and dropped to his knees, heaving onto the grass, his stomach empty enough that it was more painful than anything. Dave made a distressed noise and dropped down beside him, rubbing his back soothingly. When he finally managed to compose himself, Dave handed him a water bottle. Klaus took a tentative sip, not positive what his stomach could handle for the moment, and tried to clean himself up.

"How are you doing?" Dave asked.

"Oh just peachy," Klaus said bitterly and immediately regretted it. "Sorry, I didn't mean to snap. Thank you."

"It's fine, love," Dave chuckled. "It was a stupid question. You wanna get out of here?"

"Will you carry me?" Klaus joked, batting his eyelashes at him.

Laughing, Dave lifting him up and into his arms before placing a kiss to his cheek.

"Wait, no, I've changed my mind!" Klaus said, clinging to him, feeling woozy. "Put me down!"

* * *

It was dark out, the only light in the room coming from a little night light Ben had given them that slowly cycled through the colors of the rainbow in a way that Klaus found soothing. It was nice to have on nights like this when he couldn't sleep. The ghosts calling his name and begging for his help were still there, but they sounded more distant than usual which was a blessing. He could even almost block them out entirely if he focused on the sound of Dave breathing where he lay with his head against Klaus' chest.

He brought a hand up to wrap a little more securely around Dave, hand resting on his arm as he let his thumb brush back and forth across his skin. He thought Dave had long since fallen asleep and didn't want to wake him, but then they both often suffered from nightmares and sleeplessness so he supposed he shouldn't have been surprised when Dave eventually broke the silence.

"I hope I didn't sound like I was doubting you this morning," Dave said, voice hushed as he looked up at Klaus, the colored lights playing across his face making him look radiant.

"Of course not," Klaus said, voice also quiet as he smiled at him. There was no need to whisper but somehow it always felt like he should when it was dark like this. Or maybe it was old habits from another time, stolen moments and conversations when they really did need to stay hidden.

"You're amazing," Dave said, taking Klaus' hand briefly to place a kiss to his fingers. "I know I worry and sometimes I wish you were a little more selfish so you didn't have to be so strong all the time, but I really am proud of you. You're doing so well."

"Strong, yeah, sure. I'd say throwing up on the lawn is a great indication of how I'm doing," Klaus said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"It is when you just got done doing something impossible like talking to the dead," Dave said. "I know it's hard to see sometimes but you really are doing great. Needing a hand now and then doesn't change that. And I'd be happy to pick you up again and make it worse if you need," Dave added with a quiet chuckle.

That got a laugh out of Klaus. "Yeah, thanks for that," he said. "But really, thanks for coming. I'm not sure I could have done it without you."

"Nah, you don't need me," Dave said dismissively. "You woulda been fine."

What?" he sat up a little and Dave glanced away as if afraid to make eye contact. "Dave, I hope you know— I mean, you know what I was like when we first met. I never would have even considered getting sober before. Without you— you make me want to be better."

"I think you're exaggerating," Dave said, grinning at him.

"Oh? You think I'm exaggerating?" Klaus said, rolling Dave over so he could straddle his waist, leaning down to place kisses across his face. "Is that what you think? I thought you were supposed to be the smart one?"

"Who told you that?" Dave said, horrified. "If I'm the smart one we might be in real trouble."

Klaus laughed and settled down against Dave's side. "I mean, if the position for the smart one is open, I guess I can fill it, but I should warn you, my life is filled with bad decisions."

"Oh good, I'm not the only one," Dave said, chuckling. They were silent for a moment before he spoke again. "Just so you know, you make me want to be better too."

"You're already perfect," Klaus said. "You put up with me, after all."

"Yeah," Dave said, voice dreamy, not an ounce of sarcasm to be found. "I'm the luckiest guy in the world. I love you."

"I love you too."

* * *

It was nice, getting back to work. Klaus had desperately needed something to do and he'd spent way too much time lying around. Thankfully the perfect opportunity fell right into their laps. Allison had actually suggested it which was a bit of a surprise. She was here in town filming and had talked her producer into letting them have the run of the creepy building the film took place in for the night. For once the sort of publicity Klaus and Dave would bring would actually be beneficial for a change. Everybody wins.

At the moment, Ben and Vanya were still setting up cameras so Dave and Claire were playing while Klaus and Allison stood together watching nearby. Dave was pretending to be some sort of monster as Claire brandished a stick as a sword, ready to do battle. What might have been a dramatic scene was only slightly ruined as Claire giggled hysterically at Dave's overly dramatic monster impressions and dinosaur noises

"I'm glad you and Claire could make it out here," Klaus said. "It's been too long."

"Yeah, and I know Claire's enjoying getting to know her family," Allison said, chuckling as she watched her daughter. "You guys seem to be doing well for yourselves."

"Yeah, who would have thought?" Klaus said, also smiling.

"No, I didn't mean it like that," Allison said quickly. "I just meant-"

"Hey, I'm as shocked as anyone," Klaus said, wrapping an arm around Allison's shoulders and giving it a brief squeez. "Who would have expected me of all people to become a functioning member of society?"

"I'm just happy for you."

"What about you? Back on the acting scene, I see."

"Yeah, it feels like life's finally getting back to normal," she said. "Just gotta avoid making the same mistakes as before."

"Yeah, I'm right there with you on that."

"We should probably get started before we lose the light," Ben called.

"Yes!" Claire said, pumping her fist as Dave got up off the ground where he'd been 'dying' with the stick tucked under his arm. The two of them returned to Klaus and Allison hand in hand. "Uncle Klaus, Uncle Dave, can I be in your show too?"

"Do you even know what it's about?" Klaus asked although he was flattered that Allison had apparently told her what they were up to.

"Of course!" Claire said. "I love your show!"

That took Klaus by surprise.

"Wait, what?" Dave said in dismay, hand on his forehead. "You watch our show? Klaus, do kids watch our show?"

They all turned to Allison. She cringed.

"I didn't show it to her, I didn't think it was appropriate for her age, but everyone at her school was watching it so it was only a matter of time."

Dave muttered something in Yiddish Klaus didn't understand as he rubbed his face.

"Please oh please?" Clarie said. "None of my friends believe I know you both!"

They all turned to Allison

"Don't look at me, I don't mind," she said, nudging Klaus goodnaturedly. "All the harm's already been done after all."

"Okay," Klaus said to Claire. "You can be on the show so long as you remember that we are professionals." Ben chuckled at that and Klaus waved him off as he continued. "You aren't to do any of this yourself, got it? I don't want to hear about you running off to sleep in some abandoned building or something."

"I promise!" she said looking excited.

"And we'll promise to try to tone down the cursing," Klaus whispered as an aside to Allison.

"What else have we done on the show?" Dave said, looking increasingly panicked. "Klaus? What other terrible things have we done on the show?"

Allison couldn't help but laugh.


	6. Chapter 6

Both Vanya and Ben were filming today; they were working on their editing, trying to make things more dynamic or whatever, Klaus wasn't really sure. He wasn't very involved with that part of the process, he was mostly in charge of the social media side of things and let Dave and Ben and sometimes Vanya take care of the editing.

"Okay, let's get this party started!" Klaus said, punching the air in his excitement.

This was promising to be a great episode and he couldn't wait to get going. They took their positions in front of the old building and the moment Ben gave the signal that they were ready, Dave launched into the introduction.

"Hey everyone, we're back with a brand new episode. Sorry we took such a long break there, but we have a special treat for you all. Today we are joined by two famous actresses! Welcome, Allison and Claire Hargreeves, so glad you could join us today."

"It's a pleasure to be here, thank you for having us," Allison said with a radiant smile.

"I'm not famous," Claire objected.

"Yet," Dave said. "So! Tell us what we've got here, Miss Hargreeves. Allison," he clarified.

"Well, this old abandoned office building behind us has had a surprisingly dark history. Even after it's closing there have been rumors of ghost sightings. That's why it was chosen for the location of our new movie."

"Ghosts Like Us, a lovely romcom starring our very own Allison Hargreeves," Dave said. "I can't wait to see it!"

And I'm not just saying that because I'm dating your brother."

"Well thank you," Allison laughed.

"Seriously, he's a big fan," Klaus said.

"One of the first things I did when I got here was marathon all of your movies," Dave said.

"And we're definitely going to have a watch party when this one comes out," Klaus added.

"Oh, god," Allison said with an embarrassed laugh.

"But back to the task at hand," Klaus leaned down, resting his hands on his knees so he was closer to Claire's level. "Claire! I heard you've been allowed to wander around the set. Have you seen anything strange?"

"I don't think so," Claire said doubtfully. "I think I saw a ghost in the basement while I was exploring when I wasn't supposed to be." Looking guilty, she glanced over at Allison but avoided eye contact. "But that might have just been one of the actors in makeup, I'm not sure because mom was calling me and I had to go. And it's creepy down there."

"Here's hoping we get to see whoever it was again tonight," Klaus said. "Now, I know Dave here, giant nerd that he is, usually gives the rundown of the history of the building, but since this one's yours, why don't you go ahead, Allison."

"I'd be happy to," she said. "Like I mentioned, it used to be an office building, but freak accidents kept happening, people getting hurt or dying. I mean, it's an office building, it shouldn't have been that dangerous."

"So we're thinking a curse, ghosts, or OSHA violations?" Dave asked.

"Exactly," Allison laughed. "No one was arrested, but I'm not sure that really means much. Regardless, enough people died that the company had to close up shop. Several other businesses have moved in over the years, but they all eventually moved out after suffering high casualties as well. None of them ever made it a full year."

"Well, seems like there's certainly plenty of reasons for the place to be haunted," Dave said.

"That's for sure. The story goes that the main ghost spotted here is that of a repairman who died when the basement collapsed in on him. They didn't find his body for weeks. He's said to slam doors and push people down stairs"

"Great, well, let's go piss off a ghost! Maybe if we're really lucky we'll get him to chuck us down a few stairways!" Klaus said, throwing his arms in the air.

"Cut," Ben said. "Great job everyone. Especially you, Claire."

"I did okay?" Claire asked.

"You bet you did," Klaus said. "Are you trying to steal the spotlight?"

"Maybe," she replied

"That's my girl," he said, ruffling her hair. "Come on, I think Uncle Diego is here to pick you up, I'll give you a piggyback ride to his car."

"Aw, can't I stay?" she asked.

"Sorry, honey, it's getting late and it's a school night," Allison said.

She seemed disappointed, but was giggling again by the time Klaus ran her over to her ride.

* * *

"Now, there's a lot of filming equipment and props already set up, but check this out, this was here when we first arrived." Allison pointed out a large bulletin board as they entered, filled with notices and flyers.

"Hell yeah, Taco Tuesday!" Klaus said.

"Oh nice," Dave said, looking over his shoulder. "Any chance we can get in on that? Although I guess the business putting it on is probably long gone."

"Unless you want ghost tacos. Probably not that appetizing."

"No not that," Allison said with a long suffering sigh. "That."

Above the lunch schedule was a notice with 'Warning' written at the top in large red letters.

"'The owners of this property are not liable for any injuries or damages that occur after business hours'," Dave read.

"Is that even legal?" Klaus asked.

"Aw man," Dave said. "That 's gonna make it kinda hard for us to sue them if we get killed."

* * *

Allison was amazing at this, full of energy and enthusiasm, weaving stories, the three of them able to play off of each other with ease. Klaus had no doubt this would be one of their more popular episodes and he was having a blast. They could definitely learn a thing or two from her and he made a mental note to talk to her about lessons or something later. If nothing else maybe she could recommend some improv classes. Maybe even get them a much needed discount.

"Hey, thank you for this by the way," Klaus said during a lull as they swapped out the batteries in the equipment.

"It's nothing, really," she said, waving a hand. "It didn't even take any convincing on the producer's part. She seemed pretty excited about the whole idea. Maybe because I let Claire do the asking."

"Ooh, roping your daughter into doing your dirty work, hmm?"

"Oh not at all, this was all her idea!" Allison said proudly

"Wait, really?"

"Of course! She is a big fan, after all. I should be thanking you guys though, this has been a lot of fun."

"We're glad to have you," he said, hand on her arm, glad that they were getting the chance to be closer after all these years. He'd missed what they used to have.

* * *

"Down this way is the basement," Allison said, leading the way. "Apparently police have already searched but some stories insist there are still bodies from missing employees buried under here."

The dark was a familiar thing to Klaus. Of course it was, his dad had locked him in enough mausoleums over the years that it was pretty much a home away from home. He was getting better, though, now that he actually had the support system for it, working on how to deal with the fears and the nightmares instead of just trying to force himself to endure until the panic attacks kicked in. Sure, he still slept with a nightlight on, but that was part of the point, getting to choose for himself when he faced it.

He still hated the dark and he probably always would. And as he reached the bottom of the stairs, he hated it more than usual. He was just hit with too much, too fast. It was dark, so dark, and the air was filled with the smell of mildew, damp and thick. It brought with it memories, clawing hands grasping at him, voices begging and screaming. He'd apparently never be free of his nightmares of graveyards.

But there was more. The mold and the dark, the low ceiling and the walls that seemed to push in on him made him feel like he was trapped in a tiny motel room again, shoved into a closet for hours, tortured and tortured until he could barely remember what it was to be anywhere else. He staggered back, overwhelmed, and almost bumping into Vanya. Dave was at his side almost immediately, steadying him.

"Woah, woah, hey," Dave said, rubbing his arm soothingly. "You okay?"

Klaus looked to Vanya and somehow she looked the way he felt. He had done his best not to think about the little box Luther had locked her inside, it was too terrible to even imagine. How many days, how many weeks had she spent trapped in there when they were children, with nothing but the sound of her own heartbeat?

"Vanya?" Dave asked, spotting her expression as well. He glanced between the two of them, obviously concerned.

"I think you guys can handle this bit without us, right?" Klaus said.

He didn't want to pull out of Dave's warm and comforting arms, but he couldn't leave Vanya like this either, so he took her hand and led her back up the stairs, back into the light. They'd been in musty places before, of course they had, it was practically their job now, so Klaus wasn't really sure why this out of all the places they'd visited was the one that did it. Maybe it was just too much all at once.

It was probably the same for Vanya. She had a strong stomach, so few things bothered her and as far as he knew, she wasn't all that claustrophobic. Klaus was angry with himself that this was getting to him so badly, and no doubt she felt the same. She held the camera tight against her chest and Klaus stretched in the newfound freedom of the wide hallway, breathing deeply as the others filed back up the stairs behind them. Allison went to Vanya, but she waved her away with an embarrassed smile

"Hey," Dave said, rubbing Klaus' back and pressing a kiss to his cheek.

"We're fine, all good," Klaus said, leaning against him briefly. "Why don't you guys just film this bit without us?"

"Are you sure?" Dave asked, looking between the two of them. "We can stay here for a bit, or we don't even have to do the basement, we can just do the rest of the building."

"We'll be fine," Vanya said, mustering up a reassuring smile.

"See?" Klaus said. "Now off you go, you have an episode to film."

"Okay," Dave said, popping his collar and turning to the others. "Let's go get this ghost. Punk won't know what hit him."

"Punk?" Klaus echoed, trying to stifle a laugh.

"Yeah," he said. "I mean, Claire is gonna be watching this episode. I'm trying to keep things PG."

"Right," Klaus said with a fond smile as he straightened Dave's collar, folding it back down, before giving him a gentle shove in the direction of the basement. "Just go already."

He knew Dave was being silly on purpose, trying to make him and Vanya smile and Klaus loved him for it. He had the same impulse, to make others laugh when they were upset. Having someone else do that for him instead, knowing Dave would always make sure he was able to smile, meant more to him than he thought it could and he probably had a ridiculous grin on his face as he watched him leave.

"I appreciate the thought," Allison said to Dave with a laugh as they headed downstairs.

Vanya slid down the wall until she was sitting on the floor so Klaus dropped down beside her. He let out a heavy sigh, resting his head back against the wall. Thankfully he hadn't had a full blown panic attack, but he still felt rattled. He just focused on his breathing, trying to calm his pounding heart.

"Thank you," Vanya said, voice small.

"No sweat," he replied, flashing her a smile. "I don't really like dark, cramped places either. With how often we were locked up, I'm starting to wonder if dad had some sort of obsession."

"Wait, you were locked up too?" she asked, horrified.

"Oh, yeah," he said, glancing away and waving a hand dismissively. "You know dad, it was no big deal."

Klaus had a problem with not talking about things. He had never seen much of a point, everyone had their own problems they were dealing with, they didn't need Klaus' on top of that. So instead he'd always just made jokes, exaggerated and tried to make people laugh. In the end, people stopped believing anything he said. Even on the few occasions he truly did go to them for help. At some point he just gave up trying, assuming none of them would care. Except maybe Ben.

Dave cared, though, and he wouldn't let him do that. Klaus was getting better at not just trying to hide it all away, but that didn't mean he was as open with the rest of his family. That was a much longer work in progress, there were still too many bridges to rebuild there. Besides, he still didn't know how much he should share, it still felt like they probably didn't want to know. .

"Knowing dad, I kinda doubt that," Vanya said, leaning over to bump against his shoulder. He smiled at her, grateful. "Did he build a box for you too?"

"Nah, it was a crypt for me," he said.

"What the fuck," Vanya whispered.

"It was only overnight. You got kept in your little prison for weeks, right?"

"Still fucked up," she said.

"That's fair," he said, climbing back to this feet to stretch. "Thankfully, he's dead now so we can leave whenever we want."

"What, you want to go get ice cream again?" she chuckled.

"Unfortunately I'm on the clock, you can take me out next time."

"Deal," she said, standing to join him when they heard the others approaching.

They were laughing and talking as they climbed the stairs and Klaus couldn't help but smile. Once he once might have felt left out but right now more than anything he was glad they were all getting along. Knowing he actually had a place and wasn't going to get abandoned helped too. He knew Dave and Ben especially would never do that to him. He had a place here, and people who cared about him.

* * *

"Overall that was a pretty uneventful night," Klaus said, stretching.

"Yeah, did you even see any ghosts?" Dave asked.

"Well," Klaus glanced over at the only ghost in the room. He was standing around awkwardly, face an unpleasant blue. "No historical ghosts, but there is a guy who died out back choking on a sandwich."

"A sandwich? Well that's not ideal," Dave said.

"It would have been nice to see a ghost that could confirm the stories but I think we still got a pretty good episode," Allison said.

"It's almost time for us to get out of here," Vanya said. "Shall we get packed up and head out?

"Roger that," Dave said, giving a solute.

They all started grabbing bags and equipment, carrying it outside to the car. Dave ran up to Klaus before he could do the same, hand on his arm to get his attention.

"What's up?" Klaus asked.

"You sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, all good," he said with a smile and was surprised to realize that he meant it. He brought his hands up to rest on Dave's shoulders, always seeking to physically reassure, for both of their sakes. Sometimes these things could take a day or so to really hit him, and he supposed that was still possible, but he really did feel okay right now.

"What was it?" Dave asked.

"Just- all of the basement," Klaus said gestured broadly. "I didn't realize the mustiness would get to me so badly. I guess that's what happens when you're tortured in a shitty motel."

"Oh, love," Dave said, pain in his voice as he cupped Klaus' face, thumb brushing across his cheek.

"I'm fine, really," he said, leaning into the touch before placing a quick kiss to Dave's lips.

"I wish I could take your nightmares, you have too many," Dave said.

"No way I'd let that happen," Klaus scoffed. "You already have plenty of your own."

"Fair enough," Dave laughed.

* * *

It was a little sad, having to say goodbye to Allison and Vanya. It was one of those nights Klaus just didn't want to end. He waved as they drove away, putting his arm around Dave as he leaned into him.

"Hey, we should go get breakfast," Klaus said.

"Is it breakfast or dinner at this point?" Dave asked. "Either way, I could eat."

"Oh, shoot," Ben said, counting bags in the trunk of their car. "I think I left a mic upstairs. Hang on, I'll only be a sec." He sprinted off towards the house.

"Aw, he took the keys with him," Klaus said as he tried the door. They leaned back against the car together, hand in hand as they waited. Dave leaned over and kissed his shoulder.

That's when Klaus saw it; a familiar figure crawling across the grass towards him, leaving a trail of blood, most of his face missing as he screamed in agony.

"No," Klaus said, flinching into Dave as he averted his eyes. "I didn't summon you, how are you here?"

"What is it?" Dave asked, wrapping an arm securely around him.

Klaus wanted to fold himself into those \arms and disappear, but the screaming was loud, too loud, it was everywhere. It went beyond sound, in his very skull. It shouldn't be like this anymore. Normally if Klaus poured enough of himself into a ghost it became more solid, more human as they regained awareness, but something was wrong, it felt too terrified, too frantic. How-

No, it couldn't be. His grip on Dave tightened and he felt frozen to his very core.

"Dave, I think- I think we're in trouble."

"What?" Dave said, looking around quickly and Klaus could see him slip back into the role of the soldier, assessing the situation, looking for cover. He knew Dave hated that that still happened on occasion, they both wanted to forget their time in the military, but right now Klaus was grateful for it.

"The ghost from the crime scene is here, but there's no reason for him to be. Unless the person he's attached to is also here."

"I thought he'd been attached to a location?"

"That must have changed somehow. Unless buildings have suddenly learned to move, in which case I think we have much bigger problems," Klaus said, unable to stop himself from falling back on jokes.

"Does that mean his killer is here?" Dave asked, horrified. "But why? How?"

"I don't know, maybe they somehow found out that we talked to the cops and followed us? Ohhh wait, shit," Klaus said, smacking himself on the forehead. "I may have kinda sorta accidentally talked about it on our blog."

"Really?" Dave said, but he looked impressed instead of angry. "You've been doing great with that, by the way."

"What can I say, I'm a natural when it comes to social media," Klaus said although he didn't feel proud at all. "The people love me. But right now we should probably get out of here"

"Come on," Dave said, turning back towards the house. "We should probably go find Be-"

As Dave reached the back of the car, a figure stepped out from behind it, swinging a crowbar. Dave tried to dodge, but it came in too fast, clipping the side of his head with a sickening thud. Klaus' blood ran cold in horror as he watched Dave smack into the side of the car and crumple to the ground. He could feel bile rising in the back of his throat, sick with dread. _No no please_, his mind screamed, he couldn't lose him, not again.

He screamed Dave's name and made to scramble to his side, but the stranger was faster. He stepped over Dave, standing between them, as he raised a gun to point at Klaus. He was a large man, wearing all black and even had on a balaclava which would have made Klaus laugh if the circumstances had been different. Right now, though, he needed to act. He reminded himself that he was the target. If Dave was still alive, he might just be able to get away so long as Klaus could provide enough of a distraction.

"Don't even think about running," the murderer said, apparently reading his mind.

Without even waiting for a reply, he fired the gun. Pain shot through Klaus' leg as he stumbled to the ground, a snarl on his lips. He tried to focus, to find something he could use to his advantage. And then he spotted Dave moving, quietly and carefully dragging himself to his feet. He was alive! Klaus tried not to let the relief show on his face as he stared down his attacker.

"You're the idiot who almost got me caught?" the masked man said with a laugh.

"Normally people at least have the decency to be impressed by the whole talking-to-ghosts thing," Klaus said, hoping to keep him talking, keep him occupied.

"Pathetic," the man said. "Well, as much as I'd love to make this nice and slow and painful-"

As he took aim, preparing to fire again, Dave launched himself at the killer, knocking the gun to the side just as it went off, firing a shot into the grass only a few feet from Klaus. Dave was bleeding from a wound along the side of his skull and he was obviously unsteady on his feet, leaning into the killer as they grappled for the gun and Klaus knew they only had a matter of seconds before this went south.

He could try to hobble over there and help, but what if he didn't make it in time? Or what if the two of them weren't able to overpower the murderer? Movement caught his eye and he spotted the ghost of the victim still there, hovering just behind them, hand reaching through his murderer as if he was trying to help and Klaus knew exactly what to do.

Acting fast, he channeled every ounce of energy he could into that ghost. It practically fell forward onto the killer, blood pouring from the missing section of his skull, a horrible grin on what was left of his face, his jaw only half attached. The murderer gasped in horror and headbutted Dave who collapsed immediately, stunned. Now that he had the gun free, the murderer turned it on the ghost, firing shot after shot into it. The ghost didn't even flinch. He was already dead, what was that supposed to do? He just laughed, a horrible gurgling sound.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Klaus lurched to his feet and scrambled forward. He might hate fighting more than anything else, but that didn't mean he wasn't good at it. He grabbed the murderer's wrist that was holding the gun and jabbed him in the throat with his free hand. As he doubled over, Klaus twisted the man's wrist and managed to rip the gun free, sending it flying out of his hand and well out of reach. The murderer stumbled back, gasping and choking.

And then he drew a second gun from his coat.

_You have got to be kidding me_, Klaus thought.

Before he could even take aim with the new gun, the murderer was ripped off his feet, pulled backwards and up into the air. Klaus, Dave, and the ghost all looked up to see Ben's monsters rip the murderer apart, raining bits of blood and gore all around. Klaus had already seen this happen too many times before and took the opportunity to kneel beside Dave, helping support him and checking his injury. Just as quickly as they appeared, the monsters receded back into Ben who immediately ran to their side.

"Are you guys okay?" he asked, breathing heavily.

"Wow," Dave said in awe. "That," he pointed at half of the corpse of the killer lying nearby, "is gross. But that," he pointed at Ben, "was fucking awesome! You have got to teach me that sometime."


	7. Chapter 7

Klaus cradled Dave's head in his lap in the back seat of the car, trying to cushion him every time they went over a bump, hating the way Dave winced in pain every time he was jostled. They'd hastily tied a shirt around his head, but it was already starting to bleed through. Their attacker may have been dealt with, but they weren't out of the woods yet.

"Hey, Dave, stay with me, okay?" Klaus said, stroking his cheek whenever his eyes threatened to flutter closed. "You gotta stay awake. I think I read that somewhere, right? Just keep talking to me."

"I'm good, I'm good," Dave said with a lazy grin, reaching up to grasp at Klaus' sleeve, just holding onto him. "You realize though that if Ben keeps running red lights he's never gonna get his driver's license. They might even revoke his permit."

"You'll just have to keep being the one to drive us everywhere," Ben said, speeding through yet another red light, trying to get them to the hospital as quickly as possible. Thankfully it was late enough that the roads were more or less empty.

"Yeah, see?" Klaus said. "So you better not die on me again, okay?

"Who said anything about dying?" Dave said.

"I think the murderer kinda implied it."

"Yeah, but he's scattered across the lawn in little bits. Are you really gonna listen to him? Oh wait, shit," Dave said, eyes suddenly going wide. "I didn't even think of that. Is he here? His ghost I mean."

"No," Klaus said, glancing around. "His victim isn't here either."

"Disappointing," Dave said.

"Really? Because I'm kinda glad about that," Klaus chuckled.

"Yeah, okay," Dave said. "Fair point, that'd suck to deal with. Sorry. It just woulda been nice to rub it in his face is all. He had a gun and I had a head wound and I still almost overpowered him. He didn't even manage to kill any of us!"

_Yet,_ Klaus' mind provided unhelpfully.

"Oh, hey, Ben," Dave continued, attempting to sit up but Klaus pushed him back down. "Thanks again for the ride. And for the whole saving our lives, thing."

"Oh, yeah, sure, any time," Ben chuckled.

They were quiet for a long moment. Klaus almost thought he was going to make it, but he failed to choke back a sob.

"Hey, hey, hey," Dave soothed, reaching out to him again.

"I'm sorry," Klaus said, leaning forward as if he could envelope him, wrap completely around Dave and protect him from all of this. "This is my fault, if I hadn't talked about helping the police online-"

"Shh, don't do that," Dave interrupted. "This isn't your fault. There's a hundred different ways he could have found out about us. He could have even seen us at the scene of the crime and recognized us. I don't want to brag, but I am becoming rather famous online."

"You don't even know what that means," Klaus couldn't help the tearful chuckle that escaped him. Of course if either of them were going to be recognized it would be Klaus thanks to the whole Umbrella Academy thing, but he knew Dave was trying to cheer him up. Still, he couldn't help but continue. "Maybe if I hadn't tried to talk to the ghost victim-"

"No," Dave interrupted, voice serious. "He probably would have seen us as a threat no matter what. I can't remember if I was the one who picked that place or if it was Ben. Are you gonna blame us?"

"No, of course not," Klaus said.

"Look," Dave said. "He only targeted you because you can talk to ghosts. He probably would have come after the rest of us after. How's your leg by the way?"

Klaus couldn't help but burst out laughing at that, although it was a strained thing and he had to fight to keep it from turning into sobs. "You're the one who almost died and you're asking me if my leg is okay?" Klaus asked when he could finally speak again.

"Hey, I'm still allowed to be worried about you."

"No. No you're really not," Klaus said. "All of the worry is being used right now. I guess I can forgive you because you have a head injury so your memory might be a little off, but stop it and start worrying about yourself."

Dave smiled at him but it faltered and Klaus felt a cold panic wash over him as he realized how hard Dave was struggling to stay conscious. Klaus started running his fingers through his hair, trying to ignore the way his hand was shaking. He couldn't fall apart, not now. Dave needed him too much. Dave was always there for him, he just wanted to do the same for him.

Frustrated, Klaus rubbed viciously at his eyes when a tear slid down his cheek. He could still hardly believe that Dave had risked his life and almost died for him; _could_ still die. It wasn't right. He owed everything he was to Dave, for showing him how to live, how to love, always challenging him to be a better person. He wouldn't be the same person without him and if Klaus could shield him from harm he would. If there was one person who deserved to be safe and happy, it was Dave. The world was better with him in it.

"We're here," Ben said, pulling him out of his thoughts.

"Oh good," Dave chuckled, sounding a little delirious "I didn't want to be the annoying kid in the back seat constantly asking if we were there yet, but my head really is killing me."

"Come on," Klaus said. "Let's get you inside."

Not that Klaus could really help. He could only hobble behind them on his good leg while Ben pulled one of Dave's arms across his shoulders and practically carried him inside. Thankfully Dave was obviously bad off enough that they were taken in immediately. While living on the streets, Klaus had found himself stuck in the waiting room with all sorts of injuries most would consider serious at one point or another, at least when he actually bothered to come in that is.

Thankfully, now that Reginald was gone, Mom could treat any injuries because being here reminded Klaus too much of overdoses, of needles and drugs and it made him tremble with how much he wanted to get high, to stop feeling so terrified and just let himself slip into blissful numbness. The only reason they'd come here at all was because it happened to be closer than home. Dave was the only thing that mattered right now so Klaus just tried to focus on him, sticking close and never taking his eyes off of him.

When the doctors began to take Dave in one direction while leading Klaus in another, he panicked, trying to pull away. He didn't want to leave Dave's side. What if something happened? He couldn't leave him alone! The nurses were trying to tell him something but he ignored them, growing more frantic as Dave turned a corner, vanishing from sight.

"Klaus," Ben said urgently, suddenly in front of him, hand on his shoulder. "They're just taking him to get an MRI. It's gonna be okay. He'll be right back."

"Fuck that, I'm going with," Klaus objected, but he couldn't just walk through Ben anymore and he wasn't going to shove him away. Ben took his arm as he hesitated.

"You won't be any use to him if you bleed out. Come on, let the nurse patch you up."

Klaus looked down to see that he'd bled through his own hastily applied bandage. He gave in reluctantly, letting himself be led away. He barely paid attention after that, in a daze as they sat him down. Ben sat beside him the entire time, holding his hand tightly which he was infinitely grateful for. Klaus bounced his leg up and down restlessly, chewing a nail, trying not to think about how everything could go wrong, how at any moment someone could come in and tell him how sorry they were but there wasn't anything they could do, that Dave had died.

He didn't want to be faced with another future without Dave in it. There would never be anyone else, he knew that. He didn't want there to be. He'd never felt so safe with anyone before. He'd never had anyone fight so desperately to protect him before either. Not that Klaus really wanted that of course. He'd rather he just be safe and alive and happy.

He just wanted Dave here with him. He wanted to make him smile, hear him laugh, hold him when he cried. He couldn't lose him, not when he hadn't even figured out how to truly communicate how much he loved him. Dave still doubted his own worth and his place in the world and Klaus couldn't leave it like that.

He wasn't sure how much time actually past, but it felt like forever. It was the waiting that did it, not the pain of being stitched up. He barely noticed that. His thoughts threatened to consume him, his need to get high a constant buzz in the back of his mind. When someone finally came in to let them know they could see Dave, Klaus practically leapt to his feet, ignoring the spike of pain in his leg.

Dave was unconscious when they arrived and it was disturbing seeing him so still and pale. Klaus had seen him injured before of course, but it never got easier. He had angry bruises blossoming out across the side of his face and rough stitching along the angry red gash from the crowbar and Klaus had to bite his lip, trying to focus on the pain instead of the grief and fear as he dropped into the seat next to the bed, gripping Dave's hand tightly.

"Klaus?" Ben placed a tentative hand on his shoulder but he shrugged him off.

"Can you give me a second?" he asked. He knew it wasn't smart, he probably shouldn't be alone right now, but he felt frantic, his leg bouncing restlessly again. He didn't want Ben to have to deal with him right now, not when it was too easy for Klaus to say something he might regret.

"Yeah, sure," Ben said. "I'll be outside if you need me."

And then Klaus was alone, staring at how truly pale Dave was, wondering if he would ever wake up again. It reminded him too much of the last time Dave had been seriously injured, a ragged hole in his chest, empty eyes staring up at the sky. Klaus could remember every terrible second of that moment, the explosions and gunfire all around, the sound of his own voice screaming for a medic, crying Dave's name over and over.

He pulled himself out of that though, jerking back to his feet, pacing despite the painful limp as he put his hands behind his head, pulling slightly at his own hair any time the memory threatened to slip back in and overwhelm him. He couldn't think about that. Dave was going to be fine, soon they'd be going home and laughing at something stupid and it would all go back to normal.

He found he was angry. Angry that Dave had gotten hurt at all, and angry that Klaus had caused all this to begin with. If he'd only just kept his mouth shut. He was mad at the murderer of course, and the whole situation in general. And he was mad at Dave for putting himself in danger. It wasn't fair of him, but then none of this was fair and Klaus' hands were trembling with how terrified he'd been. How terrified he still was.

"Hey."

Klaus spun around at the voice, groggy but blessedly awake, and nearly tripped over himself in his hurry to return to the bedside chair, taking Dave's hand, squeezing tightly.

"Hey yourself," Klaus said with a shaky smile. "How are you feeling?"

"Oh, fantastic," Dave said, waving a hand dismissively, obviously a bit loopy from the painkillers.

"Good," Klaus said with a heavy sigh, relief making him feel suddenly weak. "God, what a night, am I right?"

"Yeah," Dave chuckled. "We certainly have had a lot of excitement lately."

"Too much," Klaus agreed with a heavy sigh. And then he continued because he just couldn't let it go. What were you even thinking, tackling a guy with a gun? You had a head wound, you could barely stand."

"To be honest I wasn't really thinking," Dave chuckled making him wince. "Head wound, remember? I just knew you were in trouble and went for it."

Klaus was speechless for a moment, feeling warmth at the admission, knowing Dave cared for him that much that he'd think of him first in that situation. Sure, he knew Dave loves him, but even after all this time, seeing just how deeply still threw him. But he pressed on, ignoring all that for now, because it only made him want Dave to be safe even more. Klaus doubted he deserved all this but he definitely didn't deserve anyone dying for him.

"You can't— you can't just do that," Klaus said in frustration, angry at himself too, that he couldn't stop any of this from happening, that he hadn't been able to protect Dave. "Next time, just stay down, okay? Try to get away and get help, I'll be fine."

"Do you hear yourself?" Dave said, incredulous. "Are you gonna do the same?"

"Well, no, but-"

"No buts," Dave said with such finality. "If I can move, there's no way I'm stayin' down. You should know that by now."

"Fuck, Dave! You could have died," he pleaded.

"And so could you! You can't expect me to save my own skin when I know you're in trouble!"

"Come on, don't be an idiot!"

They so very rarely argued, and almost never raised their voices, even in frustration. They both ground to a halt as they realized they were doing just that now, all anger simply gone.

"I'm sorry, I know I'm not being fair-" Klaus began guiltily. No matter how angry he was, he never wanted to take it out on Dave. It wasn't his fault they'd been attacked, and it wasn't his fault Klaus didn't know what to do with someone willing to die for him.

"Are we fighting?" Dave asked. "Is that what we're doing? Because I don't like it and I'd like to stop."

Klaus stared at him for a moment, and then he was crying. He didn't mean to, but as the anger dried up, it left nothing but that terror, the thought of losing Dave, and suddenly there were tears streaming down his face. It felt like something inside him was breaking. This was probably the worst time for it but he hated fighting too and that certainly wasn't helping.

"Hey, come here," Dave said. He scooted over on the narrow bed, giving Klaus enough room to crawl up beside him, wrapping his arms around him as he settled against him.

"I'm sorry," Klaus said again, whispering the words into Dave's chest. "I was so scared."

"I know, me too," Dave said, kissing the top of his head, running a hand up and down his arm in a soothing gesture. "I know I got hit pretty bad and that's scary, but we watch each other's backs, right? You can count on me for that. But you can't count on me to just abandon you."

"You have to admit," Klaus said, a black mood settling over him. "It would have made things a whole lot easier."

"What would?"

"You know, if I'd died or whatever. You wouldn't have to keep dealing with me, I know I'm a handful." He tried to say it casually, an idle thought and not something that had crossed his mind more than once.

"What? No!" Dave said, horrified. "Damnit, Klaus, don't talk like that. I will get up out of this bed and kick that attitude in the ass if I need to because I can't lose you either. I was so scared. When I heard that first gunshot after he knocked me down, for a second I thought—" He stopped himself, biting his lip, trying to control his emotions and now he was tearing up as well.

"I'm sorry," Klaus said. "I'm just- I'm not worth all this."

"But you are," Dave said so earnestly as he reached to stroke Klaus' cheek. "And I'm determined to spend the rest of my life drilling that into your thick skull. You're stuck with me and I'm not letting a head wound stop me."

"I don't know why you put up with me," Klaus said, settling back down against him.

"I could say the same," Dave said, running his fingers through his hair. "Here you are, all amazing and wonderful. You're the strongest person I've ever met. I'm just a nobody who was just supposed to be a nameless victim in a pointless war."

"No, you're not," Klaus said. "I'm just a fuckup, you're the strong one. You're the kindest person I've ever known and I won't have you saying those things about my boyfriend."

"Fine," Dave said, chuckling a little. "Then I'll thank you not to talk bad about my boyfriend either. You're not a fuckup."

Klaus couldn't bring himself to agree with him, but he knew Dave wouldn't stand for it if he tried to argue. And he'd already worn Dave out more than he'd meant to. He hadn't wanted the conversation to get so heated and he knew Dave had to be exhausted.

"I love you," Klaus said instead, because what else was there to say?"

"I love you too."

"Just- get some sleep and get better, okay?" Klaus said.

"Yeah, okay," Dave said, sounding so tired.

It was better, being here in Dave's arms. He was warm and that comforted Klaus. He was still here with him. He was safe.


	8. Chapter 8

Now that the adrenaline was fading, Klaus was beginning to see the ghosts around them. Hospitals were almost as bad as graveyards. They phased through the walls, searching endlessly for something they would never find, reaching out hungry desperate hands for anything they could take.

Klaus tried not to make eye contact, but somehow they always seemed to know that he could see and hear them. All he could do was try to block them out, tightening his hold on Dave. They couldn't have him.

"Hey," Dave said, pulling him out of his thoughts. Either he could sense something was bothering him, probably even guessed it was ghosts, or he was trying to cheer him up from their earlier conversation. "What would you say to getting a bed with railings like this?"

"It was one time!" Klaus couldn't help but laugh.

"Look, your boyfriend has a nightmare and kicks you out of bed and you start to think about these kinds of things," Dave chuckled

"How about we get a bigger bed first?" Klaus said. "We should really do that anyway, cramming two people in that tiny thing, it's a wonder I didn't push you off sooner."

"Good thing I'm like an octopus," Dave said, demonstrating by squeezing Klaus close.

There was a knock at the door and Ben entered, giving a little wave.

"Oh good, you're awake," he said, handing Klaus a coffee as he took the seat next to the bed. "How are you guys holding up?"

"Just fine," Klaus said as he sat up on the edge of the bed, Dave's hand still securely in his own, accepting the styrofoam cup gratefully.

"Yeah, super," Dave said, stealing the cup from Klaus and taking a sip before handing it back. "I should be up and ready to go in no time."

Klaus had the cup almost to his lips when the door slammed open again, startling him and causing him to spill some on his hand. He looked up to see Diego, looking harried and angry.

"You guys okay?" he asked, taking in their various conditions as he hurried forward, dropping a hand on both Ben and Klaus' shoulders.

"My coffee's not," Klaus grumbled, sucking a drop on his hand.

"We're fine," Dave assured him.

"Fuck, I knew I should have come back after I dropped Claire off," Diego said, furious. "Too bad he's dead or I'd kill him myself."

"He was waiting for Klaus to be mostly alone, he would have just attacked at a different time," Ben pointed out.

"Yeah, better to get it over with now, I say," Dave said.

"Hey yeah, shouldn't you be at the crime scene?" Klaus asked.

"Nah Eudora's got it covered," Diego said. "Come on, let's get you guys out of here. The doctors gave Dave the all-clear, but I'll feel better after Mom takes a look at him."

"We're getting out of here? Awesome," Dave said, sitting up gingerly.

"And here I had this elaborate plan for how i was gonna smuggle you sweets from the cafeteria," Klaus said, lending him an arm to lean on as he got ready to go, pulling on his coat.

"Don't worry, you guys are so reckless I'm sure we'll be back," Ben said.

* * *

It was a relief, finally being home and away from the sterile white and blue-green walls of the hospital. And the ghosts of course. Everything felt so much less dire here in his room. Safe, even. Klaus never thought he would ever feel that way about the Academy of all places, what with all the nightmares it had held for them growing up, but here he was, breathing a sigh of relief as he helped Dave into their bed, getting him comfortable.

"Do you need anything else?" Klaus asked. "Another pillow maybe?"

"Nope, all good," Dave assured him for the hundredth time.

"Are you hungry? I could run down and get you something-"

"Klaus, stop," Dave said with a fond chuckle, catching his hand. "You've been running around constantly since we got home. Well, hobbling around. Come on, come lay down or you're gonna pull a stitch and Grace is gonna be pissed."

"Fine," Klaus grumbled but he complied.

He thought he was too wired to rest right now, but as soon as he curled up next to Dave it was like the night finally caught up with him. It felt like it had been years since he last slept. He was physically and emotionally drained and he was just so glad to be home, wrapped up in Dave's arms. It was morning by now and the sound of the birds outside was soothing.

"Man, the fans are gonna be pissed," Klaus said as they settled in, chuckling to himself.

"Hmm?"

"It looks like we'll be taking another break."

"I'm sure they'll understand," Dave replied with a little laugh. There was a long pause and when he spoke again, his voice sounded hoarse, words whispered into Klaus' hair as his arms tightened around him. "I'm sorry."

"For what?""

"I know I said we watch each other's backs, but, fuck, I was really useless, wasn't I?

"What are you talking about? I don't want to encourage you to pull stupid shit like that but you really did save my life."

"He took me out instantly and I almost didn't make it in time. What if next time he doesn't take the time to gloat? What if the first hit keeps me down?"

"You can't think like that," Klaus said, sitting up and taking Dave's head in his hands. Leaning down he placed a gentle kiss to his lips, desperately wishing there was more he could do to reassure him.

"If I can't do my part and watch your back, what use am I?" Dave asked and it was heartbreaking.

"Come on, that's not the only reason I keep you around," Klaus urged desperately, feeling too much, unsure how to get across everything he felt. "Look, if you're really worried about it, we can start going to Diego's gym or something. I admit I've probably gotten a bit rusty and I'm certainly not gonna complain if you want to bulk up. Just be warned Diego will probably try to talk you into boxing."

"And risk ruining this pretty face?" Dave said, mustering up a smile. "Never."

"That's the spirit," klaus laughed. "But really, we can't live our lives like that, just waiting for bad things to happen. I don't want to waste this. Us. I just want you to be happy. That's all that matters.

"I love," Dave said, voice breaking as he reached up to caress his cheek.

"I love you too."

Klaus kissed him again, lingering for a long moment before settling down at his side, wrapping him tightly in his arms. They were out of the war zone, but would they ever truly be free of it? They'd been living day by day, constantly in danger, knowing that one or both of them could be killed at any moment. They'd tried to ignore, pretend they hadn't been inches from death after every shootout, but deep down that fear was always there. A habit born of desperation drilled in by adrenaline and fear form constant near-death experiences was hard to shake.

It got them through the war, but that was no way to live, spending every second trying to prepare for everything that could potentially go wrong. Klaus had been so terrified he'd lost Dave all over again tonight but that just made him want to focus on each other even more. He wanted to live every moment they had together, to make more memories and never waste this second chance they had been given.

He knew how consuming those thoughts could be and he didn't want to lose Dave to them, he didn't want him spreading himself so thin he broke with the impossibility of trying to keep them both safe from harm. There was no use worrying about the future, Klaus was always the type to live in the moment anyway, so he would just do his best to make sure Dave's life was filled with so much joy he couldn't fear what might happen. And if the worst did happen? They probably couldn't stop it anyway and Klaus didn't want them to regret a second.

Sure, they would still fight to keep each other safe, but that couldn't be the only thing they were about. Klaus didn't want to think about death and doom anymore. He just wanted to think about Dave and how much he loved him, and how loved Dave made him feel.

* * *

They took things easy the next couple days. Mostly they slept or talked or watched movies, too tired to do much else. They received several calls from siblings checking up on them which surprised Klaus. Ben lived there so he of course stopped by every day to talk and hang out, but he did that anyway. What Klaus really didn't expect was their surprise visit from Diego.

Dave was lying on top of Klaus on the bed, head resting against his stomach, arms wrapped around his waist, carefully arranged so as not to jostle Klaus' injured leg. There was a knock at their door and, without even waiting for them to reply, Diego threw the door open.

"You guys good?" he asked

"Oh yeah, just peachy," Klaus said, waving a dismissive hand.

"Either of you need anything?"

"I could use another pillow," Dave said.

"Yeah, hang on."

Klaus and Dave shared a glance as he left.

"I didn't think he'd actually do it," Dave said.

Klaus could only shrug in confusion because he hadn't either. He couldn't help but wonder how much Diego would actually put up with. A sly grin spread across his face and apparently Dave was having a similar thought because he grinned back.

"Anything else?" Diego asked when he returned, tossing the extra pillow onto the bed beside them.

"I don't suppose you could get us some juice?" Klaus said, looking extra pathetic. "I am quite parched."

"Sure, no problem."

"You aren't," Dave said incredulously as soon as Diego was gone, huge grin on his face now.

"Oh you bet I am," Klaus said.

"He's never gonna do anything for us ever again after this," Dave giggled.

"Worth it."

It was hard to suppress their giggles but they'd successfully gotten Diego to bring them an extra blanket and some playing cards before he started to get suspicious.

"I think we're gonna need another pillow," Dave said, fully committed to Klaus' terrible plan.

"Seriously?" Diego was definitely looking annoyed now.

"Please?" Dave said. "My head is killing me."

"You're not even using the other pillow I br-" Diego cut himself off with a frustrated sigh. "Fine, but this is the last thing."

He stormed back in a moment later, threw the pillow at them, and left. Ben happened to be walking past and had to dodge out of the way.

"What's Diego's problem?" Ben asked as he entered their room.

Both Dave and Klaus devolved into a fit of giggles.

"Oh he is going to kill us," Dave said.

Most of his siblings started coming around more than usual after that, bringing them food and just generally checking up on them. It was completely unnecessary, especially because even when they were uninjured Grace would still stubbornly cook most of their meals despite their assurances that they could do it themselves. It was nice, though. It helped to know they were worried about them, even if Klaus could see the way they looked a little too closely at his eyes to make sure he wasn't high. That didn't help as much.

* * *

Whereas Klaus eventually caught up on sleep and returned to a more or less normal routine, Dave continued to sleep for large portions of the day for another week or so and it was upsetting seeing Dave so quiet and still. Klaus knew it was good he was getting his rest, but he still felt relieved as Dave slowly returned to his usual animated self. It meant he was getting better. Even if it also made it more difficult to make sure he actually took it easy.

That was fine, though. The distraction was nice for him. Klaus knew it was only temporary and it wasn't fair to rely so heavily on something like this, but it made it easier. After something so terrible, his cravings were so much worse and it was hard to stop himself from wandering off to find something, anything, to drown himself in so he could stop feeling for a second, so the ghosts would leave him alone. But knowing Dave was hurt and wanting to be there for him was at least something to focus on.

Being cooped up was starting to get to Klaus, though. He and Dave had both always been active people and it didn't take long for him to start feeling antsy. The ghosts harassing him more than usual didn't help either. He could go out, but then what about Dave? He didn't have the same option, as weak as he still was, and it just didn't seem fair to go and leave him all alone with nothing to do.

Sure he knew Dave didn't expect him to stay with him all the time and entertain him, but he always found ways to distract Klaus when the cravings were so bad it was all he could think about. Dave would come up with all sorts of little games, each more ridiculous than the last until he was laughing too hard or too focused to notice the way his hands still shook. He just wanted to return the favor

Unfortunately, Klaus had been getting a bit irritable the last few days, but he tried to keep that under control and he thought he'd been doing a pretty good job of it. Dave hadn't said anything at least. They'd spent their morning playing various word games and Klaus thought it was going fairly well when Dave suddenly sat up from where he'd been draped across Klaus' lap.

"You know," he said. "If you want to go out, you can. It's gotta be torture being cooped up for so long. You should exercise that leg if nothing else."

"And leave you here all alone? Nah," Klaus waved a dismissive hand.

"Come on, I don't want you making yourself miserable because you feel like you have to keep me company or whatever."

Klaus was silent a moment, weighing his options. He felt bad, talking about his own issues and concerns when Dave was having a worse time. But also, he knew Dave would never forgive him if he kept things to himself and just suffered in silence. Setting your own limits and boundaries of what you can handle in any given moment was one thing, but deciding for the other person so you could stew and be miserable wasn't right and could only push them further apart. Klaus sighed.

"I guess I'm kinda worried about being alone right now. Cravings have been on the mind a lot lately," he admitted.

He felt guilty that this was even still a concern. He knew Dave wouldn't blame him, that's just how addictions worked, but it didn't stop him wishing he could just magically be better.

"I don't know if I can trust myself. I'll tell you what, that's a shitty feeling right there." Dave placed his hand over Klaus' sympathetically. And because things were getting a little too serious, Klaus added, "Besides, I don't know if I can trust you unsupervised either.

"You got me there," Dave chuckled. "You'd probably come back to find me trying to surf down the stairs on our mattress."

"Oh, that sounds fun, remind me to try that later when we aren't so injured," Klaus laughed.

"If we break something doing it, your siblings will probably put us under 24 hour surveillance," Dave said. "Hey, Ben should be back from classes soon, why don't you talk him into going out with you, then you can get us something to eat. I love Grace's cooking but I have been craving sushi. I promise I can behave myself for that long at the very least and that way you can hopefully avoid getting cabin fever."

"Aren't you bored though?" Klaus asked, still hesitant.

"Incredibly. Being injured is so lame," Dave said, drawing out the last word and leaning into Klaus' side dramatically. "But I can survive without you constantly entertaining me. And this way I can live vicariously through you. And eat sushi. Win-win."

"You're the best boyfriend ever," Klaus said, leaning over to kiss him.

"Um, excuse you, I think you'll find that I'm the one with the best boyfriend and I am prepared to fight you on this," Dave said, kissing him again.

"Well in that case," Klaus said, kissing him one last time before hopping to his feet. "You're right, I am the best boyfriend."

Dave laughed and Klaus couldn't help the ridiculous grin as he went to look for Ben. Even though he'd graduated from crutches to cane, they couldn't go far with Klaus' leg, but they did manage to get sushi, even stopping off at the corner store to grab some painkillers for Dave and a movie or two.

Oddly enough, there was a display filled with yarn and he grabbed some on impulse. He'd been meaning to do some more knitting and it had been a while since his disastrous attempt to teach Dave, maybe they could have another go at it. Sure, this outing was supposed to be about getting some fresh air, but who could blame him for wanting to get more things he and Dave could do together?


	9. Chapter 9

"Uuugh, do we really have to go?" Klaus asked where he lay sprawled out on the floor of his room.

"I mean, it would be a little weird, hiding up here while everyone is downstairs," Dave said, looking back at him in the reflection of the mirror as he finished buttoning up his shirt. "They'd probably just come up and pound on the door until we let them in."

"If they don't break it down first," Klaus grumbled. "I can't believe they're using an actual family dinner as an excuse to check up on us."

"They're all just worried about us. Besides, it'll be nice to see everyone, right?"

"I guess," Klaus admitted grudgingly. He loved his family despite their flaws, he really did, and he was getting along with them more and more as time went on, thankfully, but sometimes they could be a lot. Especially if they were just gonna spend the evening scolding him. "It's just weird is all."

"What is?" Dave asked, coming to sit beside him. Klaus shifted so his head was in his lap, eyes closing as he felt fingers combing through his hair.

"I guess I'm just used to them not caring," he said. "No, that's not fair. Maybe they did care, but I'm sure even Ben was burnt out having to deal with my shit all the time. You'd think they would have learned their lesson. Stop hoping for more from me or whatever. Maybe they're just here to make sure you're doing okay."

"Hey now, come on. They're here because they know how hard you're trying and they want to support you." Dave said it so simply, like it was the most obvious thing in the world, but it left Klaus reeling.

Everything he was doing, getting clean and holding down a job; he always thought his family saw it as the bare minimum when just existing could be a huge struggle. Dave understood, but then they told each other everything, celebrated each tiny shaky step that they both took. No one else really knew what he was dealing with, except maybe Ben who knew the signs and wouldn't let Klaus shut him out.

Honestly, he wasn't sure how much his siblings even wanted to know. And if he did tell them, would they even understand? Maybe not, but maybe they could still see some sort of change in him. Whatever it was, it made them willing to try and that was more than Klaus had expected. It was surprisingly nice and he was grateful if a little overwhelmed.

"Oh," Klaus said, voice sounding small even to his own ears.

"You okay?" Dave asked.

"Yeah, sure," Klaus cleared his throat, trying to ignore the swell of appreciation and affection, both for his siblings and for Dave for always being so patient and kind. "I guess you're right. Let me just get out of my pjs and into some proper clothes and we can go downstairs."

He crawled to his feet and went to the closet, sifting through a pile of clothes. Neither of them were very good about actually putting laundry away but at least it was clean. Eventually, he pulled out a shirt and examined it..

"Wait, is this yours or mine?" he asked, glancing at Dave over his shoulder.

"Ah, I think that one's mine," Dave replied.

"Excellent," Klaus said, pulling it on and Dave laughed.

* * *

Dave moved slowly and gingerly, his head still sensitive, and Klaus was still using his cane to get around (which he was rocking, by the way) but otherwise eating dinner with everyone made things feel normal again and let Klaus forget his concerns. Well, as normal as anything ever was for them all. It was loud of course, half his siblings arguing most of the evening, but the food was good and it was nice to see them mostly getting along.

"So Klaus, Dave," Luther said eventually. Klaus had to give him credit, he managed to wait until they'd gotten halfway through the meal. Maybe that was his plan, waiting until it would be harder to escape. If he left now, he'd miss dessert! "How are you both holding up?"

"Oh, great," Klaus said cheerily. "Gunshot wounds and head trauma, nothing new there. Kinda reminds me of the good ole superhero days."

"From what I hear, the three of you handled yourselves admirably," Five said.

"Ben was amazing," Dave said. "You shoulda seen him."

"Oh, come on," Ben said a little awkwardly.

"I'm just sorry we left you guys there alone," Allison said and Vanya nodded.

"Nah, he woulda just waited to jump us later," Klaus said.

"I think we should start taking turns going with," Diego said. "Having backup can't hurt."

"What? Come on," Klaus rolled his eyes. "We were fine, he didn't stand a chance against Ben. Besides how often are we gonna witness a murder?"

"You are spending your nights in abandoned buildings," Vanya pointed out. "Maybe it would be a good idea."

"I have time at the moment, I can go first," Five said to Klaus' surprise.

"Don't you think you guys are overreacting just a little?" Klaus said. "This is kind of ridiculous."

"Normally I'd agree," Luther said. "But you've already had one close call and it couldn't hurt."

"It is better to act on the side of caution," Five pointed out.

"Don't worry," Dave leaned over and whispered to him. "I'm sure things will go back to normal and they'll lighten up so long as we don't almost get murdered again."

"Aw, but where's the fun in that?" Klaus replied.

* * *

Slowly but surely things were getting back to normal. While he still needed to take it easy, Dave had more or less been given a clean bill of health and they were finally getting back to work. It was a relief to both of them. Time off was great sometimes, but they both liked having something to do, a schedule and order to their life, and just the act of creating things meant a lot to them. It was also proof that Dave was getting better which put Klaus at ease.

Slipping back into old routines was nice as well. Sure, Klaus would often do his makeup just because, or maybe even for Dave, and they'd occasionally do their nails together, but it was nice to have an excuse. Knowing they were going to be on camera was a reason to wipe off the two-day old mascara and apply it fresh. Klaus still usually went with a messy look, but this time it was intentional.

Dave was of course perfectly capable of applying his own nail polish on the occasions when he wanted them done, but he liked it when Klaus did it for him so they were currently sitting on either side of an old wooden chest, Dave's hands splayed out on top of it to give him more space to work. Dave was watching him with a fond sappy smile, too, which he was finding very distracting.

"Finished," Klaus announces eventually, screwing the lid back onto the bottle of nail polish.

"It looks great, thank you, babe," Dave said, keeping both of his hands where they were, always worried about ruining all of Klaus' hard work even though he never showed the same care when he did his own.

Dave leaned forward and Klaus could feel him smiling into the kiss. It was soft and warm and Klaus knew he had to be feeling just as excited and relieved that their lives were getting back to normal. They survived, got through it all. Together. Slowly the kiss deepened and when Dave lifted a hand to brush through Klaus' hair, he saw it coming and caught his wrist.

"Ah, ah," Klaus scolded but he was grinning too. "You're gonna get nail polish all up in my hair if you keep that up."

"Sorry, got a little carried away," Dave said, blushing adorably.

"Hmm, that just might be an interesting game to play," Klaus said, sliding the wooden chest aside.

"What are you planning?" Dave asked suspiciously as he leaned back, hands flat on the ground as if to remind himself not to move them.

"Seeing how long you can go until you forget," Klaus knelt right in front of him, leaning against his chest as he came in for another kiss.

"That's just cruel," Dave laughed but he leaned into him, into another kiss.

"Oh wait," Klaus said, pulling away again. "We gotta go soon and I still need to do my toes. Do you want me to do yours?"

"Nah, I don't like going barefoot as much as you," Dave said. "Wait, you're not planning on wandering around an abandoned house barefoot, are you?"

"That's for me to know and you to find out," Klaus winked at him before turning around to sit on the floor between Dave's legs so he could lean back against his him.

He braces his feet on the old wooden chest so he could get a good view of his toenails and pulled out the nail polish again. While he worked, Dave started placing kisses along his neck and shoulder.

"That's very distracting, you know," Klaus said.

"We'll call it revenge," Dave chucked. "And hey, at least I'm not using my hands."

* * *

Understandably, everyone was still a bit jumpy after everything that had happened so, true to his word, Five was there when they went to shoot at their next location. He met Klaus outside, approaching while the others started setting up.

"I'll make sure you're all safe while you film," he said with a slight smile.

"Hey, I think we did pretty well for ourselves," Klaus pouted. Sure, they'd gotten hurt, but they weren't incompitent or anything.

"I guess you're not completely useless," Five joked. "I just mean you shouldn't have to always be looking over your shoulder. The Hargreeves look out for each other."

"Do we? I don't think anyone has ever said that," Klaus chuckled. "In fact, I'd say Dad sorta encouraged the opposite."

"Reginald is dead. We get to decide for ourselves what our name means."

Klaus was struck by that and could only watch in silence as Five walked away.

"Smart guy," Dave said, coming up behind Klaus and putting his arms around him. "I'm glad you have family like him."

"Yeah," Klaus said, leaning back against him. "He's a good little old man."

* * *

"Now, accounts on this place vary widely depending on where you look," Dave said to the camera as they entered the darkened building. "Some think there's a malevolent demon living here. Others claim there's a ghost of a woman who lures and seduces men. So, we've come up with a plan."

"We've decided that I, your friendly neighborhood Pan, will flirt with the ghost," Klaus said, turning to grin at the camera.

"Meanwhile," Dave said. "I'll flirt with the demon. Just to keep things equal."

"I never thought I'd say this but I am insanely jealous of a demon right now," Klaus said with a laugh.

"Don't worry, Klaus, you know you're the only one for me."

"Wait a second," Klaus said. "Are you not worried about me flirting with a ghost?"

"Oh, you'll be taking me out to dinner to reassure me tomorrow," Dave joked.

* * *

"Hello, demon?" Dave called into the darkness. "I know you're supposed to be the one doing the tempting, but maybe I can, um, tempt you tonight instead?"

"What a great look into the beginning of our relationship. He's useless," Klaus said to the camera, rolling his eyes. He turned back and walked over to Dave, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Step aside, and let me show you how it's done."

"Fine, fine," Dave said, stepping back.

"Hey ghost, the person of your dreams is finally here! Why don't you come out and take a look at this fine specimen here?" Klaus gestured to himself before putting on a couple different poses as he waited for a reply.

Dave put his face in his hands, trying his best not to laugh.

"Hmm, she must not be here," Klaus said after giving it a moment or two, coming back over to Dave. "So? Did that sexy display remind you of anything? Like my attempts to woo you, perhaps?" Klaus asked, waggling his eyebrows.

"Nah, there wasn't nearly enough crying," Dave joked.

"Ouch, now you're just being cruel," Klaus laughed.

* * *

"It's actually a bit spookier, looking for demons," Klaus said as they wandered down a darkened hallway.

"They could be anywhere, around any corner, just waiting to jump out," Dave said helpfully.

"I don't know if I can even see them," Klaus said. "Have I seen them before? Would I even know?"

"I imagine they'd be pretty unsettling," Dave said.

"All of them are unsettling," Klaus laughed. "Maybe demons are so lame they don't even stand out from the ghosts."

"Wow," Dave said. "Hear that demons? It sounds like you are super lame. Idiot demons."

"That's no way to talk to someone on your first date," Klaus said.

"They could always come out and prove me wrong. I feel kinda like I've been stood up."

"Hey," Klaus said, pointing up to a hole in the wall near the ceiling. "Anyone wanna dare me to go up there and check that out? Maybe there's a demon living in there."

"Hell yeah," Dave said, pumping his fist.

Ben was grinning while Vanya whispered, 'oh no," under her breath as Dave got into position. Leaning against the wall, he held his hands out, giving Klaus a boost up so he could reach the hole.

"I can't really see anything," Klaus said. "Let me just shine my flashlight- holy fucking glowing eyes, there is a demon in here!"

"Wait, what?" Dave said, sounding alarmed but trying to keep Klaus steady.

"Oh wait, hang on, it's just a racoon. Oh fuck, a racoon! And he looks pissed. Get me down, quick!"

Dave nearly dropped him as Klaus tried to squirm away but they managed to get away before they heard the angry chittering, the racoon popping its head out to glare at them before retreating back into its home.

"In hindsight, that may not have been a very good idea," Dave said.

"Worth it," Klaus said.

"Let's just go before it decides it wants to eat us after all. That'd be an embarrassing way to go."

"I say we tell everyone it was possessed by a demon. They can't prove it isn't true."

* * *

As they filmed, Klaus would often spot Five nearby, completely focused on his notebook, no doubt working on some contingency plan or other for when that time traveling police or whatever they were caught up to them again. He had to be listening do them, though, because occasionally they would say something and there would be the unmistakable twitch of his lips up into the briefest of smiles.

Klaus very much doubted that Five watched their show, he just couldn't picture it. But it was obvious that he was proud of them and that was certainly a new feeling. Pretty much Dave and Ben and maybe Diego once or twice had been the only people to express any sort of pride in him and Klaus didn't know what to do with that. If Five of all people was proud of him, maybe he was doing something right with his life after all.

Klaus had always told himself that he didn't care what his family, or anyone really, thought of him or his choices. That didn't mean it hurt any less whenever they'd dismiss him, or when they gave up on him entirely, as if deciding all Klaus would ever be was a useless failure. This was a surprisingly nice change. He could get used to this.

* * *

"So how are you feeling?" Dave asked as he and Klaus sat in a cheap all-night diner near home. It was the first private moment they'd had together since they'd started filming even if Ben was just up at the register paying the bill. "Is it weird being back?"

"Nah, it feels kinda nice," Klaus said. "I like having something to do, you know? What about you?"

"Yeah, it's good, I just-" Dave ran a hand through his hair, mussing it in a frustrated gesture. "I guess I keep looking for things in the shadows. Not ghosts or anything, sorry I'm sure you do that all the time, just. You know."

Klaus took his hand where it rested on the table, squeezing gently until he looked back up at him. "Do you- want to stop? Do something different?"

It was hard, suggesting that. He didn't want to give this up, not now that they had something that felt so good, a job that he was actually capable of doing. They were slowly building a life that they could live together and a future actually seemed possible for once. But none of it was worth it if it was making Dave miserable.

"No, no," Dave said, smiling as he leaned into Klaus, pressing a kiss to his shoulder as if sensing his thoughts. "I like doing this. Besides, even if we never left the house again, I'd still probably feel this way. I'll get over it eventually. And despite everything, it is pretty nice knowing we stopped a murderer."

"Yeah," Klaus said enthusiastically, latching onto a positive in all of this.

"I get why Diego does this. It's nice to actually get to stop the bad guy," Dave said, no doubt thinking about Vietnam. They'd all been told that they were fighting for good, but he'd always said it was hard to believe, knowing the people they were killing were just as scared, wanting nothing more than to go home. "Not that I want to make a career out of it, of course. I don't like fighting. And our job is much more fun."

"Yeah," Klaus said. "It's nice, creating something, making people laugh."

"Seriously, I am really glad to be getting back to this," Dave said, smiling at him so fondly. "I'm glad to be doing this with you."

"Love you," Klaus said, grinning like a fool as he kissed him.

"Love you too," Dave said, and he was grinning just as much.

* * *

Mom and Pogo generally kept the fridge stocked these days, especially since the kids had all started visiting regularly, even beyond their monthly family dinners. Still, now that Klaus and Dave had some spending money of their own, it was nice to be able to shop for themselves, and there was the perfect little convenience store just a couple blocks away.

Today Klaus had gone by himself. It wasn't as fun without Dave, but he'd been working hard processing footage all day and looked like he could use a rest. And Klaus wanted to surprise him with some of his favorite snacks.

Arms now full, he headed for the checkout, struggling not to drop anything. As he passed by a display full of candy, however, one item caught his eye. The little package had 'RingPop' in bold yellow lettering across the front and it was so ridiculous and yet somehow perfect that that of all things gave him an idea that he couldn't shake.

Marriage, or, well, a committed relationship in general, was one of those things Klaus had always figured was for everyone else, not him. He was too fucked up, or too weird, or too much. But then Dave has happened. It seemed impossible to find someone he fit so perfectly with, the two of them weaving their lives together so naturally that it felt like they'd always known each other.

Klaus hadn't even really believed in love until they'd met, and now here he was, completely head over heels. He knew what it meant to love and be loved, to think of someone else before yourself, to dedicate your life to taking care of each other. It wasn't easy, of course. It could be hard and scary, but it was wonderful and amazing as well.

Despite everything they'd been through, a part of him had still expected Dave to make a break for it the moment they were out of the war, to find someone better now that he actually had options and wasn't trapped on the front lines. But no, Dave loved him and Klaus loved him back and some days Klaus thought it all had to be a dream. Except months and months had gone by and he still hadn't woken up.

There were still moments that took Klaus by surprise, moments when he'd be reminded of just how deeply Dave loved him. Like when they'd been attacked at the abandoned house. He'd never seen anyone fight for his safety like Dave had, desperate and obviously so terrified of losing him. Klaus couldn't believe he could be so lucky, that someone could care so strongly for him.

It left Klaus speechless, too shocked to fully wrap his mind around how much it meant to him, and how much he loved Dave. Nothing like a near-death experience to get one thinking about life and love and the future and all that.

Not that that was why it was on his mind. Really, it was getting back to their everyday routine that reminded Klaus that this was it, this was what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. He wanted to wake up next to Dave every morning, to make a life they could be proud of together and fill it with as much laughter as possible. He always knew it, but somehow the mundane and the joy they managed to fill the days with just reinforced it in him.

Marriage didn't actually mean much to Klaus, and he didn't need a ring to tell him that Dave felt the same. They'd already talked about it, about the future and commitment and all that, and neither of them needed an object to represent the sort of bond they had or the promises they'd made to each other. They'd already defied time and death for each other after all.

But Dave had grown up in a time where marriage hadn't even been an option. The whole 'nuclear family' thing had been more prevalent than ever and he'd been forced to look at that through his childhood and know he could never truly have that, not the way he wanted at least, with someone who wasn't a woman at his side. But now he could. It wasn't perfect, but it was better at least. And if Klaus had to go and figure out where in the hell you got those stupid white picket fences he would.

Not that either of them actually wanted that, there was just something satisfying in metaphorically spitting in the faces of those who had made Dave believe none of this could happen, that there might be something wrong with him for even wanting it. Ultimately there was nothing traditional about Dave or Klaus and they certainly didn't want to live their lives that way out of spite. They'd always done things their own way anyway. It was more fun.

Which is why the idea of proposing with a candy sucker on a cheap plastic ring seemed so perfect. It would make Dave laugh and that was what this was all about, wasn't it? Besides, if he waited to get an actual fancy rings, it would take forever.

At the moment, most of their income went either into making the show better or their savings so they could move out. Klaus would have to dip into that which he'd never do without Dave's agreement which would ruin the surprise, or he'd have to spend years saving up which would take much too long. He never was a patient person

Klaus had already been standing there staring for much too long so he quickly grabbed one, orange because it was bright and sunny and warm, and hurried to the counter. He knew he had a big goofy grin on his face but the woman who rang him up didn't ask. Now Klaus just needed to figure out how he was actually going to propose.


	10. Chapter 10

The candy ring was metaphorically burning a hole in Klaus' pocket since he got it and he desperately needed to propose. Especially before he lost his nerve. Not that he expected Dave might turn him down, it was just that all of this still felt like such a heavy thing that it was a little terrifying. He knew with Dave it wouldn't be, but sometimes he still felt like he could only screw all of this up. But Dave deserved this so he was determined to push through.

The only question was where he should actually ask him. It wasn't like they had many options with their limited funds. He didn't want to just do it in his room, their room, that just seemed lazy. He'd briefly considered proposing on camera, but he didn't want to do that to Dave. There weren't many things Klaus would consider private but this definitely counted. Maybe they could do a dramatic reenactment for the fans or something.

A fancy restaurant was out, there was no way Klaus could afford that. Maybe a park? What about those Botanical Gardens? It was kinda fancy, a bit cliche, but maybe it could be considered romantic. He wanted to do nice things for Dave, he deserved it, and this seemed like a pretty good excuse to try to do something new.

Unfortunately you usually had to pay to get into those. He knew it went towards maintaining the place and he was all for supporting it, but they didn't have the extra cash right now. He gave a silent apology to all the people working there, resolving to support it when they were able, but right now he was going to break in and propose to his boyfriend in a pretty garden.

Maybe not the wisest plan but it sounded fun at least. Klaus had stolen Ben's laptop and had spent the last few minutes reading everything he could about the closest garden. He was more the type to jump in and see how it goes, though, so there was no point in putting it off. He closed the laptop and set it on the bed beside him. His feet were in Dave's lap and he was currently so engrossed in his book that he didn't even look up at the sound so Klaus raised a foot to shove gently at his shoulder.

"Hey," Klaus said. "You up for an adventure?"

That got Dave's attention. He looked up, grin on his lips as he tossed his book aside.

"Always," he said. "What's the plan? Lay it on me."

"Okay," Klaus said, hands raised as he laid out his plan. "We're gonna sneak into a place, but you can't ask why."

"Oh, a mystery," Dave said, indulging him. "I'll do my best not to ask too many questions, but you know I'm down."

"Great, grab your coat," Klaus said, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed and jumping to his feet. He tried to surreptitiously check the pocket of his jacket to make sure the ring was still in there. The plastic it was wrapped in crinkled and he quickly pulled his hand away, hoping Dave hadn't noticed.

"Now?" Dave said, glancing out the window at the darkened sky but he followed suit, pulling on his coat as well.

"What are you talking about? The night is young, we have hours before sunrise," Klaus said enthusiastically. "Let's get this party started!"

* * *

In anticipation for this, Klaus had packed a small bag full of essentials. Well, things he thought would be fun to have at least, to enhance the whole espionage feel to the evening. Sure, he'd broken into places before and knew none of it was necessary, but that wasn't the point. The point, as it usually was, was to make Dave laugh.

"I want to ask maybe about a million questions," Dave said as they walked through the forest, cutting through away from the road so no one would see them. "But since you said I can't, can I at least ask what you've got in the bag?"

"I'm so glad you asked," Klaus said enthusiastically. He was feeling uncharacteristically nervous and this was a welcome distraction so he stopped for a moment, dropping the bag to the ground and unzipping it, holding up each item as he talked. "I've got some water, gotta stay hydrated while committing crime. There's some rope, always important, although I'm not sure why. There's some matches because apparently I haven't really used this bag in ages. And then we have-"

"Where'd you get a grappling hook?" Dave asked, laughing in delight as Klaus held it up.

"I'm prepared for everything, babe," Klaus said, grinning back. "Just don't tell Diego. I didn't actually ask before I borrowed it."

They continued on, but when they finally brushed through the trees at the back of the garden and came across the fence, Klaus groaned in disappointment.

"Chain link? Aww, come on," he said. "Fuck it, I'm gonna use it anyway."

"You sure that's a good idea?" Dave asked.

"Not at all."

Klaus spun the grappling hook around like he'd seen on TV and tossed it up, but it came in low and bounced off the fence.

"These things are harder than they look," he grumbled when Dave laughed.

He wasn't laughing at Klaus, though. Dave was just thoroughly enjoying the evening and the show he was putting on so Klaus decided to try again. This time he managed to get it up and over with a triumphant cheer and Dave clapped enthusiastically. Klaus pulled the rope back until a hook caught on the top of the fence. He went to try to pull himself up, but it didn't exactly work well, the fence bending in too far and he nearly lost his footing and fell.

"I mean, it is a chain link fence," Dave pointed out, trying not to laugh, extending a hand as if ready to try to catch him if things went bad.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Klaus waved him away as he tried to readjust his hold on the rope.

"Suit yourself," Dave said and he ran at the fence, jumping only to smack into the side of it still practically at the bottom. He probably could have gotten higher just by stepping up onto it. The force of it caused the fence to wobble and he nearly bounced off onto the ground as well.

"Good going," Klaus laughed.

Reluctant to give up on his grappling hook entirely, he held the rope in one hand, pretending to use it as he simply climbed up alongside Dave. They were gasping when they finally reached the top, gracelessly dropping down to the other side, but they were still laughing. Klaus staggered to his feet, shoved the grappling hook back into his bag. Then, grabbing Dave's hand, they stumbled off towards the garden path.

Walking hand in hand, a canopy of stars above them with the full moon lighting their way; it did feel special. Mostly just because they were together. They knew they should be enjoying the view, taking in all of the exotic plant life, but they were both a little too preoccupied watching each other, talking and laughing about any little thing that came to mind. And when they did pay attention, neither of them knew anything about plants so mostly they just pointed out the funny-looking ones.

It was all so incredibly pretty, though, Klaus was beginning to doubt his plan. He had no idea where he was supposed to do this. Or when. Nothing looked right for them. Not that he disliked flowers, and maybe Dave had gone to places like this back home, but Klaus was used to crowded cities and dirty back alleys, not nature. Dave was much the same and maybe proposing in a place like this would cheapen it, make it feel less genuine because it just didn't seem like them.

He wasn't opposed to visiting places like this, he wanted to do all sorts of things, experience all manner of places with Dave, but this proposal was about them so maybe it should happen somewhere that was already special to them. Not that there were many places like that. They'd been through hell together, seen the ugliness that the world held, and they'd gotten through it together. But he didn't exactly want to do it somewhere grim either. It wasn't the bad times he wanted to celebrate, it was the getting through.

Maybe he should have just proposed back at the house, something to commemorate the quiet moments, the love and joy they'd worked so hard to build out of the hand they had been dealt. Proof that they had survived, that they had helped each other through the hard times. That was what he wanted to remember, and that was what he wanted to build towards.

"Hey," Dave said suddenly, pulling him out of his thoughts. "You're doing it again."

"What?" Klaus asked, wincing at how guilty he sounded.

"Thinking too much," Dave said, moving in close, placing a hand on Klaus' cheek as they both stopped walking. "I don't know what's going on but you went through all this to get me here, you should enjoy it too. Be here with me."

"It was nothing, really," Klaus objected.

"No, take credit for it, it's great."

"Well, if you insist," Klaus said and he knew he had to be practically beaming when Dave chuckled, his breath ghosting across his skin as they kissed.

Maybe this was okay. Maybe it would be fine to do it here. They'd worked hard, right? They deserved some peace, some beauty. They deserved to walk under the stars amongst the flowers and to be happy for a change. Things weren't always going to be hard and they should be able to acknowledge and celebrate every bit of goodness they could find.

He should do it now before he misses his chance. Klaus had a fistful of Dave's coat, pulling him close, so he only had one hand free to surreptitiously fish around blindly in his pockets for the ring. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest as he searched, suddenly feeling much too nervous again. Reaching awkwardly to the opposite side, he finally managed to find the ring but was interrupted before he could pull it free.

"Hey!"

The voice caught them by surprise and they jerked apart, startled. Off down the path was someone with a flashlight. Did this place have security guards? Klaus supposed it made sense. He probably should have looked into that beforehand.

"Who's there?" the figure called again.

Still holding onto Dave's coat, Klaus pulled him off the path and into the bushes and flowers, laughing. Dave was tense at first, but as the two of them sprinted through, Klaus heard him join in on his gleeful

* * *

"Life with you really is an adventure," Dave said, leaning his head against Klaus' shoulder as they stumbled down the sidewalk, laughing and out of breath. Thankfully they'd managed to lose the guard so they didn't have to run anymore and were still giggly after the high of adrenaline.

"I honestly can't believe we got away," Klaus said, squeezing Dave's hand.

"It was kind of a close call," Dave said. Klaus could tell he was itching to say more, but he'd agreed not to ask questions.

"Hey, you hungry?" Klave asked. He knew he should just hurry up and ask, but now he really didn't know where to do it. Maybe he'd just wait until they got home.

"Starving," Dave said.

"McDonalds it is!" Klaus said, pumping his fist in the air. "How are you doing, by the way? I'm pretty used to trespassing and 3am trips for chicken nuggets, but I'm not sure how much of that you've done."

"I've done my fair share," Dave said with a smile, swinging their clasped hands back and forth in a gentle motion. "But with you? I'm doing great,"

They fell uncharacteristically quiet as they walked and he knew Dave had to be wondering what was up. Klaus should have been talking to distract him, but he just couldn't help it. The closer he got to proposing, the more he felt like he was going to vibrate out of his skin, his heart suddenly hammering in his chest. It was stupid but the more time went by, the guiltier he felt keeping secrets from Dave too, even if it was supposed to be a good surprise. He just hated having something he couldn't talk to him about. They shared everything.

At least the food would be a nice distraction and would hopefully help Klaus recover his nerves. McDonalds was locked this late at night so they walked through the drive through before sitting down in the parking lot to eat. They talked about nothing in particular, joking and laughing, but they were both more subdued than usual.

"I've had such an amazing time with you tonight," Dave said eventually into a particularly long pause, and he sounded so earnest.

"But?" Klaus prompted, because these things always seemed to come with a 'but.' Even after everything they'd been through, his gut reaction was to expect the worst. Was this it? Was he going to break up with him? He berated himself for always jumping to that but maybe it was better than being blindsided.

"No!" Dave said, quick to reassure. "No, no 'but's or anything, it's just- since I met you, every day has been an adventure. And I don't just mean when we go out and do random shit like this, I just mean you constantly surprise me and I'm always finding more reasons to love you and to love this life we've built together. I've been meaning to do this for a while, I just wasn't sure how but this seems like a good a time as any, so-"

Dave got down on one knee and Klaus covered his mouth as a surprised strangled sound escaped him. Dave's words got faster and faster as nerves took over, obviously in a hurry to get to the end.

"And I know marriage is an institution and it doesn't really mean anything beyond a symbol of the things we've already talked about creating in a future together, so it's not necessary, but-"

"Yes! Oh my god, yes," Klaus said, unable to wait in his excitement as he launched himself forward, nearly knocking Dave down with the force of his hug.

"I haven't even asked yet" Dave laughed into their kiss.

"Oh, right, yes," Klaus said, standing back up and composing himself, wiping at an eyes he was so close to crying with joy and he didn't care that he probably just smudged his eyeliner.

"Klaus Hargreeves," Dave said with a deep breath, readjusting so he was on his knees again. "I've known that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you since Vietnam. I never thought I'd meet someone as wonderful as you, or that I could ever be so happy-"

"Oh my god, hurry up," Klaus said, waving his arms, starting to tear up again.

"You have made me the happiest man in the world and I would be honored to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?"

He pulled out a small plastic package with large yellow writing across the front.

RingPop.

This one blue with red dye crackling through it like they'd mixed the two almost started laughing, he couldn't believe his eyes. How had he been lucky enough to find someone this amazing?

"Oh my god!" Klaus exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air. "I can't believe you!"

"What?" Dave said, looking a little alarmed and Klaus felt a bit guilty for that. "I thought you'd find it funny."

Klaus sat down beside him as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his own RingPop.

"Wait," Dave said. "Wait, wait, wait, you can't be serious."

"I'm totally not," Klaus said, laughing now. "The whole reason I took you to the garden was because I wanted to propose. How are you this perfect? I fucking love you."

"I fucking love you more," Dave said, laughing as he leaned into Klaus, kissing him.

"Impossible but I'll let you believe it if it makes you feel better. Fuck, though! All that work and I can't believe you beat me to it."

"Wait, no, you have to propose to me next," Dave said excitedly.

"No, no, you won fair and square," Klaus sighed in defeat but he was still grinning.

"Damn right I did, which is why you have to now," he said as he jumped to his feet and crossed his arms over his chest, waiting expectantly.

"Shouldn't I at least wait until you're least expecting it?"

"I will not have you barging into the bathroom when I'm trying to pee just so you can catch me off guard. Just do it now, I can't take the suspense!"

"Okay, okay, fine," Klais said, laughing as he got down on one knee and took a big deep, stealing himself. "Fuck, I had this whole speech lined up but I can't remember any of it. Just, I love you and I love this whole 'us' thing we've got going on. And I want to keep being an 'us' for the rest of my life. So, David Katz, will you marry me?"

"Yes!" Dave said with barely contained joy.

He dropped to his knees and the two of them crouched there together, a surprisingly intimate moment as they removed the rings from their plastic wrap and slipped them on each other's fingers, leaning into each other just for an excuse to continue touching.

"Would you look at that jewel," Klaus said, holding his hand up as if to catch the light. "Give me your hand for a sec, I want to see how it looks on you too."

Dave obliged and held out his hand. Klaus took it and raised it up as if to examine it. Instead, though, he stuck the RingPop into his mouth.

"Hey, that's mine!" Dave objected, laughing as he pulled his hand away. "Besides, shouldn't we, I dunno, save them?"

Klaus shrugged as he started sucking on his own ring, making an 'I don't know' sound around the large lollipop in his mouth. Dave shrugged as well and started sucking on his as they both sat back down on the curb.

"Hey," Dave said, wrapping his arm across his shoulder and Klaus did the same, hand resting on his back. "Love you."

"Love you too," Klaus said, leaning into him.

"Let me try yours," Dave said and Klaus snatched his hand away.

"No, it's mine!"

"Fine, then, I'll just eat your fries."

"Looks like I'll have to eat your chicken nuggets then."

"You wouldn't dare!"


	11. Chapter 11

"Just so you know," Dave said. "I seriously considered proposing in some super fancy restaurant."

They were holding hands as they walked home from their adventurous night out, their steps slow and casual like they didn't want the night to end, both of them wearing their rings. Klaus raised their clasped hands periodically to suck on what little candy remained on his RingPop despite the awkward angle. Dave's was already gone.

"And how exactly did you think we would be paying for that?" Klaus asked, laughing against Dave's shoulder.

"Now, see, that's the beauty of it," Dave said, raising a hand as he laid out his scheme. "If we'd conveniently forgotten our wallets, surely they'd simply let us go. We'd just gotten engaged after all! It'd be kind of a dick move to accuse us of anything or demand payment. I decided against it though, I'd feel bad not being able to leave a proper tip."

"Amazing," Klaus laughed, leaning into him. "Man after my own heart."

By the time they made it back to the house, enough time had gone by that it could charitably be called early morning. Ben was already up and eating breakfast like a responsible adult, no doubt getting ready to head to class. Klaus was still full of too much energy and excitement and didn't waste any time.

"Ben!" he exclaimed, bounding up to him and holding up his hand. "Ben, Ben, Ben, Ben, look! We're getting married!"

"About time," Ben said with a smile, looking truly happy for them.

"Wait, why don't you look surprised?" Klaus asked, immediately suspicious when Dave blushed crimson and avoided eye contact.

"Your fiancé there actually asked for my blessing," Ben chuckled.

"What?" Klaus said, drawing out the world, and he couldn't help but laugh, wishing he could have been there to see it.

"What? I don't know how these things work. I never thought this sort of thing would apply to me so I never really paid attention."

"You are too adorable," Klaus said, pinching his cheek.

"Did he propose with the RingPop?" Ben asked. "I thought it was a nice touch."

"Oh yeah, and check this out, you're never going to believe this," Klaus held up Dave's hand to show off the plastic ring there as well.

"Klaus also got a RingPop to propose with," Dave explained.

"Oh my god," Ben laughed. "You have got to be kidding me. You guys really are ridiculous."

Klaus beamed at that, finding Dave's hand again and squeezing tightly.

"Come on," Dave said to him. "We've been up all night, I think we've earned some sleep."

"Good idea. See ya, Ben, good luck in class."

"Sleep well," Ben said, smiling and shaking his head as he watched them go.

* * *

"Klaus Katz," Klaus said dreamily, hand up in the air as he examined the ring on his finger as if it had a diamond on it. He rolled over on the bed and scooted closer to Dave, taking his hand as he did so. "I think I like the sound of that."

"Hmm, I dunno," Dave chuckled, so close that their noses bumped.

"What? I think it's perfect. It might as well be alliterative and over the top. Go all in, baby."

"Over the top is definitely you, but what about Dave Hargreeves?" Dave countered.

"Aww, have you been doodling that in notebooks?" Klaus asked. "Maybe with little hearts around it?"

"Maybe," Dave said evasively, grinning.

"Adorable. But really, you don't want to take that name," Klaus chuckled. "I'm fine with leaving it and all of Reggie's legacy in the dust."

"Is that really what you want?" Dave said, voice thoughtful as he ran a hand absently through Klaus' hair. "I mean, don't get me wrong, fuck your old man, but it's not his name I'm taking. It's yours. It's the family you and your siblings are making. You took all the shit he dumped on you and you're turning it into something good. A real family. And I'm honored to be a part of that."

He extended Klaus' arm so he could run his thumb gently across the umbrella tattoo there. Honestly, Klaus would have gotten it covered up with a different design a long time ago if he hadn't found the entire thing so hilarious; a 'fuck you' to dear old dad, having his symbol on his greatest failure, and wasn't Klaus just the perfect representation of how the whole Umbrella Academy business had turned out? Quite literally in the gutter. But Reginald was dead and this didn't have to be about him any longer.

After they'd saved the world, Klaus was actually truly glad he hadn't gotten it covered or removed. Sure, there was still a lot of pain there, but Dave was right, they were making this their own, repairing their relationships and building the family they'd never had. And to represent that, he and his siblings had gone out and gotten the old faded tattoos touched up, tweaking the design to be their own, to represent something else. Something new.

None of them had really bothered to put it into words but Klaus supposed it sort of existed as a representation of a promise to try to do better by each other, to make sure none of them had to feel so alone and helpless again. And this time, Vanya was a part of it. Not because she had powers now but because she was their sister.

"But you don't need to keep the name to keep your family," Dave continued. "So if your dad is all you think about when you hear the name, then by all means, ditch it. It's just, I know how hard you've tried to keep me away from everything he did and how glad you are I never had to meet him. I just don't want you to give anything up for me that you might regret."

"I'm not going to regret anything with you," Klaus said, placing a quick kiss to his lips.

"Good. If you're happy, I'm happy. Because you're my family."

"Oh my god! You are too sentimental, you know that? I'm way too tired for you to be this sappy," Klaus laughed, burying his face in Dave's neck.

"I can't help it, I get sappy when I'm tired," Dave said. "Really this is your fault for keeping me out all night."

"Maybe that's because I secretly like it," Klaus said.

"We could always abbreviate. Katz-Hargreeves. Hargreeves-Katz? I guess we have plenty of time to work it out. When are we doing this anyway?"

"Oh, right," Klaus said. "I'd been so focused on the asking part that I completely forgot that it's not over, we still gotta do the actual wedding. When did you want to do it?"

"Fuck, I don't know," Dave laughed. "I also wasn't really thinking that far ahead."

"We could stick to the plan," Klaus suggested.

"Yeah, save up, rent a place, then I guess save some more for some actual rings that are a bit sturdier than cheap plastic? We could probably use our average income to figure out how far away that'll be."

"Uuugh, math," Klaus groaned. "Math is for morning us."

"It is morning. And besides, I know you're secretly great at math."

"It's for 'after sleeping' us then because I am not so secretly exhausted."

"Sounds good," Dave said with a laugh. "As for the actual wedding, did you have anything in mind for that? I'd be fine with just going to a courthouse and getting the paperwork taken care of or whatever. I don't need anything fancy, just you."

"That's very sweet but you are missing the perfect opportunity for an excuse to put on a wild party," Klaus pointed out. "And Pogo would probably pay for it."

"Oh shit you're right."

"Besides, you can't tell me you never dreamed of being able to have a traditional Jewish wedding."

"Aw, has someone been doing research?" Dave said and he looked much too fond.

"Of course I did, babe," Klaus said, bringing his hand up to frame his face, brushing his thumb fondly across his cheek. "It's important to you. So? Do you want that?"

"Yeah, actually, I think I do want that," Dave said, smiling. "I never really thought it would be an option for me so— yeah. Thank you."

"What are you thanking me for?"

"For this, for thinking of me even when I forget. Just for everything. You're my dream come true."

"Oh my god, stop," Klaus said, beaming and maybe even blushing a little as he hit Dave with his pillow, but not very hard. Dave was about to retaliate, the two of them sitting up for a better angle, but Klaus suddenly thought of something and raised a hand. "Wait, wait, wait, wait, I just had an amazing idea! What if we got an elephant?"

"What? Is that even possible?" Dave asked, lowering his weapon, looking curious but suspicious.

"I dunno but it would be pretty awesome. Come on, it's your special day, live a little! What else could we do?"

"Okay, how about this," Dave said, hands out like he had something huge. "An elephant wouldn't fit, but what if we went somewhere with a ball pit?"

"I'm intrigued, please continue," Klaus said with a grin, chin in hands.

"It's suddenly become my dream to see Diego in one. Can you imagine?"

"Oh my god, yes," Klaus cackled. "We have to do that now. And I'm not above tackling him into it if necessary."

"I'd ask if you think we could get Five too but that's probably pushing our luck."

"I guess it depends if you want to die on our wedding day or not."

"Point taken."

"How about Luther instead?" Klaus suggested.

"It might take more than the two of us to tackle him in though."

"Ben will help. But we gotta be careful or people might catch on the third or fourth time we tackle someone."

* * *

It felt like something huge had happened, even though a proposal didn't actually change anything between them. Their day to day was the same, but there was just something so official about it all, it just reinforced the fact that they had done it, they had found love, a partner in life, and they were overwhelmingly happy.

Both of them went into Vietnam thinking they had nothing, that their lives were virtually over, and now, after somehow surviving and coming out the other side, it felt like their lives were just beginning. This was so much more than either of them ever expected to have and suddenly they had a future to look forward to. Together.

Thanks to the success of their channel, they were able to move out sooner than they'd anticipated. They found a tiny apartment, just like they'd talked about, and even if it wasn't the nicest, it was still utterly perfect. This was theirs. Their home. They stood there side by side, an arm around each other's waist, perhaps a dozen boxes full of their belongings strewn about.

"We did it," Dave said, voice full of awe. "Holy shit we did it. We really are adults."

"Debatable, but we already signed the contract so they can't kick us out now," Klaus said gleefully.

"I mean, they can, but never mind," Dave said. "Hey, we can do whatever the hell we want in here! What sort of childhood dreams do you want to fulfill? We could get a hammock if we wanted."

"Yes! And we need a pillow fort! And lots of hideous decor!," Klaus said.

"I know it's only one floor," Dave said excitedly. "But do you think we can fit a slide somewhere in here?"

"I don't know, but we're gonna try," Klaus said. "And obviously we gotta make it all as gay as possible."

"Hey, Klaus?"

"Yeah?"

"Love you."

"I love you too."

It was so strange for Klaus to be standing in the middle of a home he could actually call his own with the man of his dreams in his arms. He'd lived on the streets for so long, he'd gotten so used to just drifting, never having a place of his own, and the only place he had been able to call a home, the place he'd grown up, was anything but. It had been full of so much cruelty and loneliness.

But this? This was theirs. And they would make it everything a home was supposed to be, full of laughter and love, where they could both be happy and live the lives they always wanted, that they could be proud of. He hugged Dave a little closer, letting him rest his head against his shoulder and he couldn't stop smiling.

"Wait," Dave said. "We're gonna have to unpack all this shit."

"Fuck. This is gonna take forever."

* * *

Author's Note:  
That's the main plot wrapped up so I'm marking this as complete! I suppose I could keep going, and I may if I have anymore ideas, I already have one or two thoughts, but nothing solid enough to be able to promise anything. I dunno, this series was always pretty silly, I'm not sure anyone wants to see more of my attempts at being funny lol, so I guess I'll have to see how it goes.


	12. Chapter 12

Author's note: This fic was supposed to be done, but apparently I'm too fond of it so here's a bonus chapter. There may be more in the future it I'm feeling brave.

* * *

They'd gotten a hammock after all and set it up by the window so they could curl up together on it and stare out at the busy street below. Most people wouldn't really consider it much of a view but they could see the sky as well as people watch, so what more did they need? It was a bit precarious, getting them both situated on the hammock without tumbling out, but they'd finally figured it out and could do it with ease now.

Today as they lounged in their favorite spot, Klaus couldn't help but stare around at their apartment instead of out the window, properly taking it all in for the first time since they'd furnished it. Sure, it was small and cramped and everything was second hand and not in the best shape, but that didn't matter. It was all theirs.

They had the freedom to fill this space with whatever they wanted and they were having too much fun with it. Every piece of furniture and decoration had a story behind it and it all made him smile. They'd started a competition to see who could find the most terrible or ridiculous addition and at the moment Dave was winning with an old coffin-shaped coffee table, but Klaus had his eye on a set of second-hand landscape paintings someone had added silly-looking monsters to that might just win him the week. Ben came in as the final judge when there wasn't a clear winner.

"We're actually doing it," Klaus said, his voice full of awe.

"What?" Dave said, mouth full of the last bite of toast he'd been munching on.

"I'm holding down a job, I've got a home that has nothing to do with the fam, I've got an absolutely gorgeous boyfriend," Klaus added and Dave gave him a playful shove. "And I've been off the hard stuff for, what, a year? Maybe more?"

"Yeah," Dave said. "I'm proud of you."

"I never thought I'd live past my 20s, I guess I'm just kinda shocked that I ever managed to get my life even a little bit together."

"Me too," Dave said wistfully.

"You also didn't think I'd ever get my life together?" Klaus said with a grin.

"What? No, no," Dave laughed. "I'm a bit of a disaster too, you know, my life wasn't exactly going anywhere even before the war. This all seemed pretty impossible. And I'd say we've done better than 'a little bit.' I mean, have you seen my boyfriend?" Dave wolfwhistled and Klaus laughed.

"I don't know if I'm ever gonna get used to this," Klaus said. "I'm just gonna constantly stop and look around and realize how wild all of this is."

"You deserve it," Dave said, squeezing his knee affectionately.

"Me? Never!" Klaus gasped, mock scandalized.

"Too late, I already said it so it's true."

"Fine," Klaus said with a laugh. "So long as you get over here and kiss me."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

Making this place a home had been easy for Klaus. After all, wherever Dave was, felt like home, even when they'd been in hell fighting for their lives. There was still plenty they had to get used to, though. Their lives were changing, a layer of stress and urgency added onto their work now that they had rent and utilities among other things. Really, that urgency had always been there as they tried to just prove to themselves that they could support themselves, but now they had a bill attached to it.

Figuring out how to deal with that stress was a large part of adapting. And on top of that, Klaus had to deal with even more ghosts as they moved into a more active part of the city and he had had just about enough.

The last few days he'd been getting more and more on edge, every last bit of patience drained from him as the ghosts got louder and louder, invading his privacy and interrupting at the worst possible moments. He finally snapped when a faceless man started screaming in the middle of his favorite show. He and Dave had been waiting all week for the new episode and he'd been looking forward to it and to have it ruined like this was just the last straw.

"Oh my god, that is fucking it!" he yelled as he jumped to his feet off the couch.

Apparently Dave either saw this coming or just knew him well enough not to be too alarmed because he just paused the show and waited for him to explain. Muttering under his breath about endless noise and annoying ghosts, he grabbed their camera and hit record, turning it on himself first.

"Today we have a very special episode brought to you by this fucking asshole," Klais said, turning the camera in the direction on the faceless ghost who happened to be standing near Dave who pointed at himself in confused amusement. "No, not you, Dave. The ghost behind you. This dick has been doing nothing but screaming every time I sit down to enjoy some quiet time. What does he have against TV? And how does he even manage to scream without a face?"

He turned the camera back on himself.

"So, we're going to take a tour of our apartment here and I'm going to introduce you all to the assholes I have to live with. Since they usually follow people around I sure hope none of our neighbors are murderers."

"I have my suspicions about that little old lady down the hall," Dave chimed in. "She's way too friendly."

"Right," Klaus exclaimed, pointing at Dave. "pkay, so, let's do this. Time to put some ghosts on blast."

He marched down the hall and into the bedroom where a woman was crouching in the corner, sobbing quietly.

"This ghost here never stops crying," he said, exasperated. "It really is a buzzkill. We've all got problems, lady." He turned the camera on himself again, hand shielding his mouth from view of the ghost like he was sharing a secret with the audience. "Honestly, some days I feel like joining her."

He headed to the bathroom next, to where a ghost was screaming and pounding against the wall.

"And this ghost likes to start acting up the moment I'm trying to enjoy a nice bubble bath. Apparently I'm not allowed to get any down time around here, they always gotta be the center of attention. It's a good thing I've never accidentally manifested this one, we'd probably have a hole in our wall."

He walked into the hall again and stumbled backwards in surprise when a ghost phased through the wall and continued on into the kitchen.

"And then there's this guy!" he exclaimed, gesturing. "He just wanders around, popping through walls at the worst times, but he never even acknowledges me which is unusual. Seriously, dude, what do you want?"

It went on like that for some time as he went over every ghost in the house. Dave already knew about them all, Klaus mentioned any time a new one showed up or one of the old ones finally disappeared. He said he didn't want Klaus to go through this alone and encouraged him to, so at least he didn't look upset when he finally clicked the camera off with a heavy sigh, feeling slightly better. Instead, Dave was watching him fondly and came over to pull him into a hug big enough that he lifted him up off the ground, causing them both to laugh.

"Not that I didn't enjoy it, but what was that for?" Klaus said as he caught his balance once Dave put him down again.

"What? Can't I hug my boyfriend?" Dave said, putting his arm around Klaus' shoulders, pulling him into a playful headlock, although it was one he was easily able to slip out of and repay the favor, ruffling Dave's hair in the process.

"No, no, your boyfriend very much approves, it just kinda came out of nowhere is all." Maybe they said the word 'boyfriend' a little too often but they were still enjoying the reality of being a couple so much that they liked reminding each other. Dave in particular always seems to beam at the endearment so of course Klaus couldn't stop.

"Then I obviously don't do this nearly enough," Dave said, grinning as he took Klaus' hand, swinging it back and forth, smiling at him and just looking so damn proud Klaus didn't know what to do. "Although I am really happy that you're doing so great."

"What?" Klaus said, a little confused. "I don't know if I'll even upload that let alone make it an episode, I just wanted to let off a little steam. Was it really that good?"

"No, no, I mean, yeah, it was good but that's not what I meant. I know how much the ghosts scare you and it sucks that you have to see them at all, but it just seems good that you're finding ways to face them. And get back at them, that's always good too."

"It is better than being drunk in a gutter," Klaus joked.

"Maybe you should start posting pictures like this on our social media. Instead of pet shaming, ghost shaming?

"What, like, post a picture of the corner of the room with just a sign that says 'I have to scream and wake everyone up at 5am every day,' things like that?"

"Exactly."

"Could be fun," Klaus said thoughtfully. "But I'm all fired up now, let's get out of here and do something fun tonight."

"I'm game!" Dave said immediately, looking excited.


End file.
